Cloudy Wolf
by Denebola Leo
Summary: Cloud's life is going smoothly after Geostigma and an attack by Deepground, until one night he has a chance encounter with a wolf returning from a delivery. Now Cloud has to adapt to new troubles while keeping his family safe and sound. (Rated M for a lemon(not-furry) and violence)
1. Bad Moon Rising

Cloud drove Fenrir through the thick forests surrounding Nibelheim, returning from Rocket Town through a mountain pass before finally entering into the familiar woods that surrounded his rebuilt hometown. The road was recently paved by the WRO, smoother than the usual country roads he traveled almost daily. Cloud swayed Fenrir slightly side to side, the movement a precautionary measure against his motion sickness. The forest was void of light except for whatever little moonlight sliced through the canopy, not that it was a problem for him.

His pace was relatively slow considering his usual speeds despite his eyesight, he always worried in the back of his head that a deer would shoot out in front of him for the umpteenth time in his journeys. The night hugged him, the high beam of his bike cutting a small triangle of light that pushed through the silver speckled darkness. Cloud had been gone from home for two days to deliver a package to one of Cid's neighbors; the pay for such a far away place from Edge was good. Still, he hoped to cut his return time down some, planning on resting in his tent as soon as he was across the river from Nibelheim. He didn't want to spend the night in that cursed, soulless husk of a hometown erected by Shinra and repopulated by the desperate, even if the inn had warm beds. No, his sleeping bag would give gentler dreams.

Cloud made his way deeper into the forest, wanting to reach the vast fields and meadows beyond quickly. As a child the woods gave him the creeps, with the howl of Nibel Wolves crawling into his nightmares. Even now the cries made their way to his ears, but instead of far away as he had heard when he was younger, they sounded much closer. He noticed a glimmer of movement out of the side of his eye; whatever Fenrir's light didn't reveal, his mako enhanced eyes would pick up clearly in monochrome. What he saw made him give pause to study it. It was a large, unusual looking wolf with monstrous claws that was running towards the side of Fenrir, looking at its target: Cloud. The two locked eyes for what seemed like an eternity to the delivery boy.

It wasn't that unusual for Cloud to come across wolves in this part of the world, but what was unusual was this one's speed, claws and face. The face had no fur and had an unusual nose on its muzzle, darkened and with elongated nostrils. Its forearms and paws were similarly hairless, and it was gaining on his motorcycle with a strange stride. He couldn't tell if it was perhaps a freak animal or some hideous mutation from either a long dip in a pool of mako or an escapee of the Nibelheim mansion. Was it _smiling_ at him? He didn't like where this might be going, he thought.

The wolf monster lunged with a hideous growl, and Cloud attempted to dodge it by sliding his bike and smacking the blunt part of the blade of the First Tsurugi into the beast's side, hard. It bounced off the pavement with a yelp, and for a moment he watched as the wolf-thing limped towards the other side of the road all the while studying the young man intently. Cloud turned and straightened Fenrir, then headed back towards the plains beyond Nibelheim. He sped up as adrenaline coursed through him, attempting to leave those nightmare woods behind him. He thought he heard the scream of some animal at his back, his spine tingling from the primal screech, and despite his better judgement he floored his bike. At last he exploded out of the woods and into an endless, moonlit plain dotted with villages here and there.

Relieved, Cloud let out a sigh. It wasn't unusual to be attacked by monsters and certain animals on the road, but the claustrophobic battle arena of a moving forest road wasn't his favorite place to rumble, especially at night. Despite his good vision in the dark, it was still a risky endeavor while speeding about. And when he didn't need to kill, he didn't. It would save time and save him from possible injury, even if his injuries healed quickly; he hated making Tifa worry when ever he came home with a few scratches or bruises or a gash on his head. Traveling on, he looked at the horizon to take note of how much further he would go before settling for the night. Cloud yawned despite the lingering adrenaline from his short skirmish, keeping him jittery and on the look out for more attackers.

About an hour later by his reckoning, Cloud stopped at a familiar camp ground maintained for travelers that was almost at the Nibel River; it was abandoned tonight except for himself. He set up his tent in silence and pondered setting up a campfire. His blanket would keep him warm enough in this weather, he supposed. As he laid in his sleeping bag, he sent Tifa a message so she knew he was safe, and sent another to Yuffie, who was asking about some inane subject as she usually did. She always played the role of the annoying little sister well, the thought stirring his tenderness for his young friend who stuck with him through tough times. As he was about to go to sleep, he winced as a pain shot up his arm as he placed it down. His hand instinctively grasped at the source of the trouble. He felt something sticky and wet, and he pulled his hand away and towards his gently glowing eyes: blood. _Great._

He quickly left his tent and began rummaging though one of Fenrir's compartments for gauze to cover the long gash on his forearm. He must have gotten it when that wolf attacked him, Cloud reasoned. He must not have moved fast enough when it jumped him. It didn't look that deep from what he could tell and it surprised him that it hadn't healed up already. After wrapping his left forearm he went back to his tent, unceremoniously plopping back down and into his sleeping bag. He laid on his back, slowly being lulled to sleep by the sounds of crickets and the breeze through a nearby grove of trees.

A dream skittered across Cloud's mind as he slept, different than his usual nightmares of the past and dreams of the present. Bits and pieces, of fangs, fur and claws and a heat in his chest that wanted to burst out and burn everything. The sensation of chasing something in the darkness, the taste of coppery blood in his mouth...

Cloud shot up from his bedroll, hands clinging to the blanket as if it were security from his dream. He licked his lips, the faint taste of blood still lingering in his mouth from the dream; he disliked the tang that stubbornly clung to his tongue. He looked about while yawning, the first rays of morning light filtering into his tent and illuminating the small space. Cloud looked down at his injured arm, hoping it would have closed up during the night as most injuries on him did. Slowly, he unwrapped part of it to check, and peered at the injury with a frown. It seemed slightly inflamed, though the edges were taking on the familiar shape that were a precursor to his rapid healing. It was still weeping blood in the middle. Cloud pondered what could possibly slowing down his healing, but decided not to worry too much. He wondered if materia or a potion would fix it up later.

Cleaning up his campsite and dismantling his tent, he stored the small bundle in another of his bike's compartments, then took out a small breakfast bar and his water canteen. As he munched on his meal, he watched the sunrise alone, contemplating his reunion with Tifa and the children as the rays of golden light grew stronger. He hoped to keep jobs like this at a minimum if he could help it, wanting to make up for lost time from his Geostigma days. He mentally kicked himself for the hundredth time for that. _'...No need to worry about that anymore.'_

Before leaving to continue his journey Cloud took out one of the potions he kept in Fenrir. After partially unwrapping the gauze on his arm he pulled the top off of the bottle with his teeth, then gently dribbled the potion over the wound. It slowly oozed into the cut, stinging the flesh as it began to work. Cloud's brow furrowed as the potion seemed to sputter out, stopping most of the bleeding in the deepest part but barely doing anything to the rest of the cut. He wondered if the monster had some sort of strange ability that made its injuries harder to heal. It wasn't impossible, but it was worrisome that something like that existed. With a wary sigh Cloud wrapped up his arm and sat himself on his bike. It would heal, it would just take a while. That was all.

* * *

The rest of Cloud's trip was uneventful, the courier taking some shortcuts to get to a ferry that had been set up by the WRO south of Gongaga and taking it to Edge. The evening closing in on the city as he gently pushed Fenrir off the boat, he sat back upon the bike and drove towards his home, Seventh Heaven. It wasn't that far from the docks, about five city blocks on one of the minor streets in the center of the city. Making a turn into the alley that led into the garage, he turned off his bike and hopped off. He brought Fenrir into the garage and then put down the kickstand before he closed the automatic door. He knew Tifa would be pleasantly surprised that he had come home a little early, though she was probably too busy with the bar to notice he was home. The room was pitch black to anyone but him, and Cloud made his way to the door that would lead him behind Tifa's bar.

Cloud winced as his eyes readjusted to the light of the bar. Taking a few steps forward he looked over towards the front of the business. The evening rush did not seem particularly busy though the regulars were eating and drinking as usual. Taking a few more steps he craned his neck into the bar, watching Tifa as she washed a glass in the sink. She looked up and smiled, and Cloud returned the gesture as he walked closer. She placed the glass to the side of the sink and gave him a tight hug, glad to see him after three days. He returned the embrace, his hands wrapping around her waist and his cheek snuggling against the base of her forehead.

"Cloud! How was your delivery? You said you weren't going to be back for another day!"

"Surprise," he deadpanned.

Tifa giggled a little before parting from him. She looked down at Cloud's arms, and frowned as she eyed the gauze. She took his left hand in hers and examined his arm, the dried blotches of blood crusting parts of the otherwise clean, white surface. "Oh, Cloud...What happened?" Tifa looked up into his cerulean eyes. Her ruby irises revealed her concern, her head slightly tilted to the side questioningly.

"It's nothing Teef, got into a tussle with a wolf while I was coming back home." He scratched the back of his head, a small smile on his lips as she finished her examination of his injury. "I better change the bandages on it now, anyway. It's gettin' itchy." He gave her hand a squeeze and then made his way up towards their living quarters. He could hear Tifa beginning to usher her patrons out as they finished meals and drinks. Evenings where he came home early usually resulted in the bar closing soon after if it wasn't too busy.

He silently listened ahead, his advanced hearing making out Denzel and Marlene working on homework before dinner. The sounds of flipping pages and scribbling came to his ears. Cloud decided not to greet them just yet, feeling in dire need of a shower and a change of gauze first. He quietly entered Tifa's and his room, gathering up a black shirt and pajama pants while taking off his heavy boots and pauldron, his long sash coming off next followed by his gloves and leather bracer. He carefully walked toward the bathroom, closing the door behind him and removing the rest of his clothes save for his boxers.

Cloud sat on the edge of the bathtub, unwrapping his wound to inspect it a bit better. He winced as it took off with a hair here and there, ripped out by the dried blood caking it. With a frown, he placed his fingers at the edge of the gash, the flesh warm and a little puffy. He wondered if it had become infected. He looked closer, the stubborn wound consternating him. The outside of the wound was indeed closing up, but the inside still weeped blood. He sighed as he put his arm down. Best to take a shower and clean the wound with soap and hot water, he decided. Maybe later he would hit it with a Restore materia, if it wasn't infected.

Half an hour later he was downstairs, wearing clean clothing and fresh bandages. The children charged him, ramming into his legs with the force of a thousand little hugs, and he ruffled their hair and squeezed them back happily with a smile on his face. They returned to their seats after a lingering moment, Cloud sitting next to Tifa after she served them their plates of food; she had made a casserole that had been popular back in their hometown before it had burned to the ground, and was still commonly eaten in the Nibel area. Despite the terrible memories they had never touched the nostalgia of their childhood cuisine.

"Hey, Cloud, what happened to your arm?" Denzel asked, pointing his fork towards the bandaged arm. Marlene looked over with her utensil in her mouth, eyebrows raised while observing her spiky haired guardian. Cloud swallowed his mouthful and lifted up his arm, the clean gauze unmarred by blood. The shower had thoroughly cleaned the wound, but it still ached.

"It was just a wolf attack, guys. It'll heal in a couple of days," he replied before taking another scoop of his meal.

Marlene bounced in her chair. "Was it a big, bad wolf?!"

Cloud thought back to the skirmish. He closed his eyes as he pictured what he saw in the dark. "Yeah, it was a pretty big wolf. Weird lookin', with these big front claws. It ran away after I hit it with my sword, though."

Denzel swirled some noodles on his plate, his jaw tensing. "Maybe...it was a werewolf?" He looked up to see Cloud frowning at him.

"I don't think those exist, Denzel," Tifa said. Cloud nodded as he chewed on his food.

"They're in the back of my old monster encyclopedia, Mr. Tuesti's mother gave it to me," Denzel replied. "You can look at it Cloud, if you want."

Cloud shook his head. "I don't think I've ever heard of werewolves outside of folklore, Denzel. They weren't in the newer edition I gave you, right?"

Denzel's cheeks began to burn, and he hesitantly shook his head. "N-no, but maybe they forgot about them. Why would it be in one and not the other?"

Tifa shrugged. "There probably wasn't any sightings of whatever they thought were werewolves for a long while."

"Right. It might have been a mistake on the author's part." Cloud sounded confident. Some worry panged in his head, however. The size, the odd fore paws, the aggression...The dream. He looked to the side while finishing his meal, mulling it all over. The gash itched, bringing his attention to it. It should be healed by now, but it still lingered. Why?

"Cloud wouldn't make for a very good werewolf, don't you think?" Tifa joked. Cloud snorted at the remark while taking a sip of water from his glass.

Marlene giggled, but Denzel kept his frown, the possibility in a child's head being something of a worry.

The rest of the meal went by quietly, and Cloud and Tifa helped the children with any homework they were having problems with. When Tifa went off to take a shower, Cloud was taken over to the corner of the room to play a card game with them before bed. He noticed Denzel's gaze fall on his injury ever so often, his smile almost forced at times. Cloud purposefully made a few bad moves to try and cheer him up, but he wasn't sure if it worked all that well.

When Cloud went to tuck the children in Denzel tried to give him his monster encyclopedia. He refused it; he wasn't in the mood to entertain the possibility, not when he just got back home. The worry was just slight and it seemed so silly, but he couldn't help the childish paranoia. Cloud read Marlene's book as he sat on the stool that usually sat in the corner near the door, now in between their beds. When he finished he wished them both good night, ruffling hair and giving Marlene's bear a little pat. With a final look back he turned off the light, then headed to the master bedroom.

"Did the kids have you read them a bedtime story?" Tifa asked as she lounged on the bed.

"Yeah...Denzel was still trying to get me to read his encyclopedia, too," Cloud replied, scratching the back of his head.

Tifa giggled. "I guess he's just worried about you, that's all. You know how kids are!"

He nodded before stretching to the point of popping his back. He looked about the warm and familiar room, more than ready to sleep in his own bed again. He thought to himself that he might avoid long distance deliveries for the time being. The money was good for when he was saving up for something special, but he had been doing well lately as it was despite the WRO making it easier for other delivery companies to pop up and compete with him. Still, the extra cushion from the delivery was welcome in case of an emergency.

Cloud gently pressed his hands and bottom against the soft mattress, a subtle smile on his face as he felt the give of the bed under him. God, how he missed his warm bed, laying next to Tifa. As much as he missed the bed, he missed Tifa more, and he snuggled up to her under the blankets as she scooted closer to him. He smiled against her neck. Tifa's lovely scent lulled him to sleep as he put a hand over her waist. She sighed next to him, her hand leaning against his as they both drifted off to sleep.

 _Rustling underbrush and panicked breaths, the sound sending a dread excitement through his chest. Cloud panted as he charged through the forest and into a clearing bathed in moonlight with gently swaying grass. The scents he'd never smelled before! Earth and dew and fear..._

 _The smell of fear made his jaws gnash together in anticipation, his feral eyes locking onto his quarry in a small clearing. He charged on all fours with a snarl. He leapt forward, taking down his now screaming prey. Looking down and ready to rip its throat out, he paused._

 _Long brown hair, and radiant red eyes were staring at him. Pale glistening skin shimmered in the moonlight. He stared back, still panting heavily. Cloud swallowed hard, blinking at the sight in front of him._

 _"Teeee...faaa."_

 _"Cloud...?"_

 _"Tifa..."_

 _"Cloud!"_

 _"Tifa!"_

"Cloud!"

 _Thump._ Cloud landed on his side onto the wooden floor with a groan. Tifa stood over him, her arms crossed under her breasts. "You were having a nightmare again," she mumbled, lowering herself down and looking at him with gentle, concerned eyes. Cloud looked up at her as he breathed heavily, terrified at what he had done in the dream. "Do you wanna talk about it, Cloud?"

 _'Just a dream...It was just a dream...Shake it off, Strife!'_ He put a hand up to his face and softly shook his head. "Sorry, Teef..."

Tifa took his other hand, helping him get off the hard floor. "You were calling my name out in your sleep. And kicking your limbs around, too! Were you a little puppy, looking for me?" She was gently teasing him, swaying her hips gently. He shook his head, feigning a smile.

 _'I was more than a little puppy. But I WAS looking for you,'_ he thought, swallowing.

"Well, breakfast will be done in a little while. I'll see you downstairs!" Tifa began to leave their room.

"Okay," he called after her, listening to her footsteps become distant. Cloud bee-lined for the children's room as soon as Tifa had made it down the stairs, peeking in to make sure they weren't there. The coast clear, he went towards Denzel's side of the room, a thick old book on his nightstand. Gazing at the blue leather book with golden title, it was indeed the book mentioned last night. Cloud gingerly lifted the book, and pushed his finger on the "W" indent on the book. Flipping a few pages, he came across the Werewolf entry, a large ugly wolf-man greeting him.

 _'Let's see...Forced transformations on the Full Moon, allergies to silver, here...'_ Cloud nearly dropped the book. A slowly healing wound, desire for meat, and predatory nightmares preceded the first transformation, occurring on the next Full Moon. He stared at the line of text for what felt like an eternity, his focus broken by the sounds of little feet charging up the stairs. He quickly replaced the book, turning to leave the room. Denzel slammed into him, the boy dressed for school. He gave Cloud a quizzical look.

"Mornin', Cloud...Um, what're you doing in here?" He looked up at his hero, noting he was paler than usual.

"M-morning, Denzel. I was...looking to see if you two had gotten up yet." He blinked at the boy, shifting his weight on his legs.

Denzel wasn't convinced by Cloud's excuse, but he decided to change the subject. "Forgot my book. I like to read it during my free time at school!" He lifted up the Monster Encyclopedia and placed it under his arm, a smile on his face. For the second time this morning, Cloud faked a smile, secretly wanting to read all he could on the werewolf entry.

"Well, guess we should go eat, huh?"

The boy shook his head. "Marlene and I've already had breakfast. I better go, before I miss class! Bye, Cloud!" Denzel waved and turned, leaving the room quickly and leaping down stairs. He'd have to tell him to be more careful on the stairs. Cloud looked down at his bandages, touching along the injury; the ache was leaving, his healing ability overtaking the stubborn gash. It would probably be healed in another day's time or so. Sighing, he made his way downstairs for some breakfast. No point in fretting just yet, he'd research later. Maybe Tifa could make some sausage or bacon for him...

As he made his way downstairs Tifa looked up at him, smiling. "Any requests?"

Cloud blinked. "Guess something with meat in it would be nice." He said lowly as he fixed his coffee.

Tifa nodded, getting some sausage patties and eggs out to cook. Cloud sat himself at the bar counter, thinking. _'Werewolves? Sounds like crazy talk.'_ He scratched at the gauze covered gash on his left forearm, a twinge of worry in his chest. He wondered if he was actually going to become some shape shifting nightmare that ate people on Full Moons. _'Would I have a choice in the matter, if it were so?'_ He sipped his hot drink, oblivious to everything but his thoughts. In what felt like seconds Tifa had placed a platter in front of him, jolting him out of his worried thinking.

"There you go!" she chimed.

"Thanks, Teef." He went to stab at some of the sausage, the smell of it different, as if it smelled so much better than before. Cloud took a bite of it, and the flavor exploded in his mouth as if there were several different layers to the flavor he just discovered. Raising a brow at how delicious it was compared to yesterday, he went to some toast next. It tasted bland, the butter giving it some enjoyable flavor; Cloud was surprised as he usually enjoyed toast. Next were the eggs, tasting mostly how he was used to them tasting. Cloud frowned, wondering why his taste buds were acting so strange. His thoughts went back to the little bit he read in Denzel's book. _'It said meat cravings, right? It didn't say anything about flavors changing...'_

"Hey, are you alright, Cloud?" Tifa held a worried expression on her face.

Cloud jumped, almost choking on his eggs. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." He looked around, thinking. "I better hurry up, I have a lot of deliveries today." He ignored the toast and hungrily finished what was left on his plate before returning upstairs to prepare for work, the road giving him time to think.

* * *

"You really think Cloud's gonna turn into a werewolf?" Marlene said incredulously as they walked towards the school. Their destination wasn't particularly far away from their home, the school a block away and to the south. The road was busy with pedestrian traffic and other children heading towards the school, from those younger than Marlene to those who were almost ready to graduate.

"Maybe," Denzel mumbled back, looking down at his encyclopedia. "Pretty sure he was looking at my book."

"Do you think you just worried him a little when you mentioned it last night?" She raised a brow.

"It's not like him to take something like that seriously, though." He looked back at the girl.

Marlene hummed while thinking. "We can keep an eye on him. Is there anything werewolves don't like?" She playfully kicked a pebble down the street.

"Um, silver can really hurt them, they don't like really strong smells...and they can hear dog whistles, too. They don't have a lot of weaknesses besides silver." They came up to the school gate, passing through. The front entrance was bustling with students of all ages, making their way towards their homerooms.

"Couldn't Cloud hear dog whistles already? He can barely stand strong smells as it is, too..." Marlene scratched her cheek, thinking back to last Halloween, when someone egged the bar with a rotten chocobo egg. The smell was terrible, but only Cloud claimed to be able to smell it for the next two weeks with a wrinkled nose.

"No, I tried the dog whistle before, when Tifa said he had better senses than most." The boy paused. "Hm, like, a strong smell can make a werewolf stop in its tracks, you know!"

"Oh. Well, we can try some things, then! See you after school!"

The children waved goodbye at each other, going towards different wings of the school and disappearing into the crowds.

* * *

Cloud drove down the road from Fort Condor, his body almost on auto-pilot as he brooded over the scant information he had; he was trying to convince himself it was just paranoia. Sure, Denzel's book had a werewolf entry, and maybe it looked a bit like the thing that attacked him, but it was just a ridiculous thought to him. _'Werewolf...Things are just in movies...But...'_ He looked down at his bandaged arm, a frown under his goggles. Looking back up, he glanced at the familiar sign that told him Junon was another ten miles away; he had a delivery for the upper city.

His stomach growled, and he slowed down, bringing Fenrir to a stop on the side of the road. Cloud fished about for a fruit bar in one of the compartments, the same flavor he had that morning after the wolf attack. Opening it up, he frowned; it smelled exactly the same, of fruit and baked wheat, but unlike that morning it wasn't appetizing at all. The delivery boy took a mouthful, shrugging. After a few moments of chewing, however, he spat the mush out, and went for his water canteen to rinse the super sweet food out of his mouth.

"Blech..."

 _'The hell is wrong with my taste buds today?'_ He loved those fruit bars. Cloud's frown deepening, he stared off in the direction of Junon. Maybe he could grab lunch there, instead, after making his delivery. He started up Fenrir again, quickly accelerating towards the city by the sea. The quick trip was uneventful, monsters keeping far from the road today to his relief. As Cloud drove closer, the scent of the sea came more apparent, momentarily releasing his mind of his worries. Taking a turn in the road, he took the new upper highway into Junon, traveling along the eventually trafficked road that lead into the city proper. Slowing down, he looked at his receipt for the address, then headed for it; his customer was on one of the back roads near the cliff face shield of metal. He took off his goggles and placed them in the small compartment in front of him on Fenrir.

Finally delivering the letter and receiving payment, he decided to park his bike on the main road to stroll about for a place to eat. This area of the city was known for restaurants that catered to all classes, from the working poor to the filthy rich; there was a variety of places and a variety of tastes. Cloud walked by a noodle bar, the smell not catching his interest in the faintest despite having stopped by several times in the past. Another place was serving a local favorite made of fresh fish and seaweed; while it smelled appetizing to him, it wasn't quite what he thought he might want. He moved on, looking about as his stomach growled louder.

A few minutes more of walking and he smelled something...Good. Cloud look this way and that, the smell growing as he got closer to the source; it lead him to a barbecue shop that he'd never been to before, the food shop a brick and mortar place on Junon's wall with a sign that said "Pete's BBQ". Approaching, he looked over the small menu for a few minutes. Brisket, chocobo legs, pulled pork...He suddenly felt a slap on his back that pushed him forward a step, and then familiar laughing; turning around wide eyed he came face to face with a smiling Barret.

"Hey, Spiky! Comin' out here for lunch?"

Cloud nodded, still a little surprised by his friend's appearance. Junon was a big place. "Yeah. Felt like something a bit different than fruit bars."

Barret nodded, understanding. "Man's gotta eat! This place is pretty good eats, was gonna order some after you got done."

"Lunch date it is." Cloud smirked, turning back to the order window and rattling off what he wanted; brisket and pulled pork. He'd had them before, and wanted to see if they tasted the same or not.

"Date? You outta yo mind as usual, Spiky..." Barret went to the window next, asking for his 'usual'. The two sat themselves at a nearby table on the wide sidewalk, watching as pedestrians and vehicles came and went, conversing about the family and when the next oil field would be tapped. Cloud absentmindedly scratched at the gauze covering his itchy, slowly healing wound; Barret frowned and pointed at his friend's arm.

"What happened?"

Cloud lifted his arm up. "Oh, just an injury from a delivery. Roads' still aren't safe at night." He left it at that.

Barret shook his head. "I know you think you tough shit, but watch your spiky ass out there! Last thing I need to hear is you gettin' eaten by somethin'..."

The warrior chuckled. "I'll be fine, Barret. Nothin's been able to keep me down yet." It was true, from Sephiroth to Rosso the Crimson, he had been a very tough cookie.

"Yeah, yet." Barret looked up, a waitress coming with their orders, and he waved. "Looks like our grub's ready!"

Cloud looked at his platter, two piles of different kinds of meat. He stabbed at some of the meat, mentally shrugging at his test; would he have the same reaction to this as he did the meat at breakfast? He took a bite, and just like the sausages he had that morning, the flesh he chewed was somehow so much better than he remembered, his stomach demanding more. Cloud frowned, thinking back to the little bit of information he acquired from Denzel's encyclopedia before the boy came to take it with him to school. Was he just a victim of suggestion, or was it really what he was fearing? _'It's not like I haven't fallen to suggestion before...'_ He thought, mentally cringing.

"What, you don't like the food, man?" Barret prodded between a mouthful of a barbecue sandwich, noticing the look on his friend's face and his hand limply holding his fork.

Cloud looked up at him and blinked, then back at his small meat piles. "...I like it, just...was worried for a moment that I forgot a package," he lied. Before he could make another face, he ate some more of his lunch, the meat unnaturally good.

Barret gave a small laugh. "Don't work too hard, now."

They finished their lunches in silence, Cloud focusing on his thoughts as he ate. Just having his taste buds react to food differently doesn't mean werewolf, necessarily. Not in his mind, at least. _'I'll stay home this weekend, read some books...I doubt it's true.'_ His mind went back to the couple of dreams he had as he ate the last bite of his lunch, displeased with his dream self trying to eat Tifa. Cloud sighed, and despite his constant denials in his head, he couldn't help but worry about the what-ifs. Rising up from his seat, he stretched his back before patting a still sitting Barret on the shoulder.

"Still got packages to deliver. I'll tell Marlene you said hello," the delivery boy said.

His big, burly friend nodded happily. "You keep my baby girl safe, Spiky. I've been busy, but I'll call up soon and try to make some time to be with her." He had a wistful look on his face, his separation from his daughter a constant pain in his heart.

Cloud gave Barret a nod and a smile. "You know I will. Take it easy, Barret." With that he turned around and disappeared into the crowd. Moving towards Fenrir, he let out a heavy sigh, wondering how he'd keep Marlene, and Tifa and Denzel for that matter, safe from him if he was going to become a monster in roughly a month. Sitting on his bike and placing his goggles back on, he resolved to find out the truth.


	2. Snooping Spies

"Okay, so Operation...um...Silver, is on!" Denzel said, Marlene pumping her arm up happily. The two seemed naively cheerful despite the reason for their sneaky operation; finding out whether Cloud was truly a werewolf. Marlene was skeptical at best, going along with Denzel's plan to give him peace of mind. The boy cracked open his monster encyclopedia to the werewolf section, a flashlight shining on the yellowed pages as he settled on the first page of the entry. He situated it next to Marlene, the two on his bed, and began to read some of it to her.

"The majority of werewolves are aggressive, violent monsters that let their primal instincts rule them instead of their human minds. While it's possible for werewolves to become...er, lucid," the boy still uncertain of the word's meaning, "most tend to become ill tempered beings who hunt humans on Full Moons, or whenever they transform into their true forms, either unaware of their rampage, or uncaring."

Marlene frowned. "You don't think Cloud'll do that, do you?"

Denzel shrugged, continuing on.

"The more a werewolf changes, the easier it is on their bodies, and the easier it is for them to stay themselves if they survive over the months. However, usually the first transformation ends in the death of anyone nearby, reports in the past of entire villages wiped out by a hunting werewolf. The act may compound the human form's mental stability, leading to...er, nihilistic, sadistic personalities. Werewolves are known to kill those who find out their secret."

A loud creak came from the top of the stairs, and Marlene almost leaped from bed to bed, kicking her covers back on. Denzel shut the book quickly and placed it on his nightstand, turning off his flashlight and tucking it behind his pillow. The door began to open with a creak, and he laid still, feigning sleep. It was then he remembered to put his blankets over himself. _Crap,_ his jig was up.

"Hm..." a male voice hummed by the doorway. Cloud. "I thought I heard children up after their bedtimes..." he whispered, a little game he had played with the children before. A shadow passed over Denzel's closed eyes, and he felt his blankets lift up off the bed and onto himself. "You're getting bad at this, Denzel," Cloud said softly. "Good night, kiddos." He left the room, closing the door. Denzel's eyes snapped open and Marlene turned around in her bed to look at him.

"Maybe more tomorrow," she said.

* * *

Footsteps noisily stomped downstairs, the weekend finally here and the children free of school work and hoping for a hot breakfast of pancakes. They were greeted by Cloud and Tifa, the latter working on pancakes and the former nursing a cup of coffee while looking over the bandaged injury on his arm. Cloud looked up when he greeted them, giving the children a tired look. Marlene walked over to her usual seat, opposite Denzel, giving the blond man a little smile.

"You don't look like you slept very good, Cloud!"

He grunted, taking a sip of his milky coffee. "Not really."

Denzel looked over at Cloud. "Nightmares?"

"Mmm." Another sip of coffee, Cloud holding the white ceramic mug in both hands and closing his eyes as the vapors of his drink wafted on his face. He seemed to be thinking through whatever he had seen during the night, a worried expression on his face.

The boy knew better than to ask what nightmares he was having. Tifa had told them not to ask when they each came to live with them, explaining that they were something Cloud had to work out himself.

"How's your injury?" Marlene asked innocently.

Cloud lifted his arm with his eyes half open, the gauze fresh and white. "Still recovering. Almost gone, though."

"Guess that wolf got you good, Cloud." Denzel said it almost as a challenge. Cloud didn't respond, nor look at the child; he merely tensed his jaw, blowing a sigh from his nose.

"Hey, breakfast's ready!" The table occupants looked over towards Tifa, the woman bouncing over with four plates on a tray. She placed dishes of pancakes in front of them all, and Cloud's plate had a serving of bacon with his pancakes. He looked expectantly at the small meat pile, then back at Tifa with a thankful look. "There's the bacon you requested!"

"Thanks, Teef." He hungrily noshed a piece of the thin flesh, Denzel noticing his focus on the meat while ignoring the hotcakes that he seemed to look forward to every weekend. He went back to his own plate, cutting into his pancakes.

"You two have any plans with your friends this weekend?" Tifa asked the children.

They shook their heads. "Not this time," Marlene said.

Denzel put his fork to his lower lip, thinking. "I was gonna help clean up the house a little, I think." The boy was good at tidying up homes, and he did consider it a repayment to the two for bringing him into their home. But, he had an ulterior motive: watching Cloud.

Tifa smiled. "Are you sure? You don't have to if you want to play..."

Denzel shook his head. "It's alright, Tifa. I enjoy helping around the house!"

Tifa nodded and went back to her food. Cloud seemed oblivious to the conversation, munching on the last of his bacon with a vacant expression, as if deep in thought.

* * *

Denzel sweeped near the edge of the stairs later on in the afternoon, crouching down to sweep the dust into a hand-bin. His eyes went to the stairs as a distracted Cloud ascended them, a book in his hand. He was staring at the cover, a large brown leather book. Looking up, Cloud finally took notice of the boy, bringing the book close to his chest. He finished his climb, watching Denzel as he reached the door to his office.

"Hey, Denzel. Stayin' outta trouble?"

The boy nodded with a smile. Cloud ruffled his hair.

"Alright. I'll be in my office if you need anything." The blond man entered his office and closed the door, Denzel peeking through the door glass to see him sit down and open the book. Cloud seemed deeply interested in the book, scratching the back of his neck in a nervous fashion Denzel had observed in the past. He watched Cloud for a few more minutes, the courier finally leaning back in his chair a moment before removing the gauze from his arm. He raised his forearm to look at it in the light.

Denzel squinted at the injury, the gash seemingly knitted back together if a bit red and swollen. Cloud seemed to go to a passage in the book, his finger gliding over the page and then looking back at his arm. He paused, then released a sigh as he tapped his fingers against the desk. Denzel left the window on the door that lead into the office, deciding to peek at the book later, going off to clean the bathroom next and think about getting to that book later.

As he scrubbed at the tub half an hour later, Denzel wondered if it was simply paranoia on his part. Then again, Cloud seemed to be taking it more seriously than he had let on earlier. Really, what _could_ he or Marlene do if one of their loved ones were turning into a monster? Tifa certainly wasn't going to believe it. Or at least, he was quite sure she wouldn't. It was too farfetched, even if it was in his book. What _would_ Tifa do if she even believed them? Throw Cloud out of the house?

Denzel shook his head anxiously at the thought. It would tear the family apart if Tifa perhaps overreacted. Then again Cloud could _literally_ tear the family apart if he was becoming a werewolf and had no care for what he would do to them. The chestnut haired boy scrubbed harder. But Cloud had to care if he was researching werewolves. Or maybe it hadn't taken total control of him yet, but wouldn't he warn them? His head was swimming with possibilities.

"Denzel?"

He quickly turned his head at Cloud's voice. He blinked a few times and studied his guardian's face as he patiently stood in the doorway. Was he _sniffing_? "Um..."

Cloud rubbed the back of his head and moved further into the bathroom. Denzel stiffened ever so slightly. "You okay, Denzel?"

"Uh, yeah. I-I was just zoning out."

"Oh. I was just wondering if I could use the bathroom for a few minutes."

Denzel nodded. "Yeah, I'm just gonna put this stuff away and you can have it."

Cloud chuckled, then nodded. "Alright. Thanks."

Some hours later Denzel heard Tifa's call for dinner, and he went downstairs to eat with Marlene. Cloud was already there, helping Tifa put food on the table. He was trying to hide it, but Denzel could see the slight look of disappointment on his face. When he saw what was for dinner, he knew why; Tifa had made stuffed cabbages. They weren't the household's favorite, but they weren't bad at all with Tifa's skill in cooking. Somehow, she could make cabbages taste good.

They all sat down at the table and began passing food to one another. A couple of stuffed cabbages here, some mashed potatoes there. Some carrots leftover from last night unceremoniously plopped onto his plate and a little gravy. Denzel was hungry after all that cleaning earlier. He sliced into one of his cabbages and began to eat, but not before noticing Cloud's plate.

Usually Cloud would pile up his plate. If Tifa made it for his meal, Cloud devoured it like a goddess from heaven had graced him with the food. Tonight, he picked at what he had chosen to eat. There were two stuffed cabbages and a large glob of mashed potatoes drowned in brown gravy, and absolutely no carrots. Cloud's fork peeled the tender cabbage away, a blond brow raising as he went to inspect the meat inside. With just a hint of hesitancy he stabbed at the seasoned meat and cabbage, then quickly placed it in his mouth.

After a few moments of chewing he seemed far less disappointed than he had when Denzel first saw him.

"Hey Denzel, did you wanna go over to Natsumi's house tomorrow?" Marlene asked as he turned to the sound of her voice.

He looked at her blankly for a few moments, then quickly nodded. He needed a break from this, and a Full Moon wasn't near. Besides, he liked going to her place. Ever since she had been adopted by a couple in the neighborhood sometime after she was cured in the church they had met regularly. "Yeah. I, uh, I should probably bring my homework over." Or something.

"How's she doing?" Tifa asked.

Marlene answered cheerfully, "she's doing fine. She said hello to you and Cloud, by the way!"

"That's good to hear. Tell her we said hello back." Tifa turned to Cloud. "I set up your deliveries for tomorrow."

Cloud nodded as he swallowed a bite of mashed potato. "Thanks, Teef." He took a sip of water, his eyes growing a faraway look when they returned to his plate before continuing on with his meal. Denzel stopped staring and focused on his own food before he was noticed.

After dinner, the children went to their room, telling Cloud and Tifa they were going to play a game together. Denzel told Marlene his plan to sneak into the office, asking her to distract the two adults while he checked. After a few minutes the girl pitter-pattered down the stairs, attempting to entertain the two as Denzel sneaked into Cloud's office. The book was still there, a blue bookmark jutting out; he recognized it as the one he made Cloud in art class last year. Going back to the book, the front had a wolf face on it, and Denzel gulped before opening the book to the title: A Treatise on Werewolves. Damn.

Denzel turned to where the bookmark was, then a little back. The pages described the possible symptoms, and an illustration of a wound created by a werewolf. He thought back to earlier and Cloud's arm. A chill went down his spine, and he replaced the book, deciding that this warranted more snooping. He left the office, giving a small stomp so Marlene would hear it and retreat. A few moments later, she popped into view from the doorway as she entered the room. The boy's face was downcast, and Marlene showed concern at his demeanor.

"So, what did you find out?"

"The book is on werewolves. He's checkin' for himself, I guess." Denzel climbed onto his bed and began reading his monster manual again, promising to give Marlene more information as it came in. He began reading up on the beginning symptoms and what he should observe in the coming weeks, mostly in regards to usual werewolf weaknesses that he'd gone through already at school, his childish paranoia ramping up.

The sound of footsteps reached his ears a few minutes afterwards, Tifa and Cloud coming to put them to bed. Cloud looked down at the boy as he entered, Denzel noticing his eyes widen momentarily as he looked at his open book. He quickly closed it, putting it on his nightstand. The spiky haired man placed the boy's covers over him, tucking him in and sitting on the side of the bed. Denzel pointed at Cloud's arm, and he extended his arm towards the child. The injury was almost gone, a white scar knitting itself away. Cloud ruffled his hair, giving him a shy smile and wishing him good night.

Denzel would have to try harder to confirm. The last thing he wanted was a person he loved turning into a violent monster.

* * *

A week later, and not much had changed, except Cloud's habit of asking for more meat at meals, or as Denzel saw as he snooped in Fenrir's compartments, Cloud's usual fruit bars were replaced with beef jerky, a food he hadn't been particularly fond of in the past. Tifa hadn't seemed to notice the change, or perhaps she figured he was hungrier than usual. Her food was really good, after all.

"Hey, Denzel!" Marlene came charging towards the boy, holding something in her hands with a grin. They were outside Seventh Heaven, the street bustling with people. It was right before the bar usually opened.

"What's up, Marlene?" His brows were raised.

She opened her palm, a plump, red stink bomb staring back at him. She held a pack of matches in the other hand. "You think we can test out if Cloud can take strong smells?" Marlene whispered as low as she could.

"Where did you get those?" Denzel asked, dumbfounded as he reached for the door.

The girl snorted. "Friend of a friend."

Denzel informed Marlene that Cloud was in the garage, working on Fenrir. The girl tapped her cheek, and asked Denzel to watch from the inside. He nodded, making his way inside the bar and then maneuvering past the counter and into the garage, the sound of metal on metal getting closer. He opened the door, Cloud already up and looking at him, the boy wondering how far out he could actually hear.

"Hey, Denzel," Cloud got up from his sitting position, a smudge of black grease marring a cheek. "Need something?"

"Uh, I just wanted to see you work on your bike..."

Cloud shook his head, a small chuckle passing his lips. "Already done workin' her." He suddenly looked towards the closed garage door, as if he heard something, his brows together. Moving towards the door, he suddenly stopped, then fell to his feet panting and wheezing.

Denzel caught the faint scent of the stink-bomb growing stronger, but nothing that would illicit this kind of response in a normal person. His guardian snorted and sneezed, and Denzel paused a moment to watch, then took an arm and tried to drag Cloud towards fresher air; the noise brought Tifa and Marlene into the garage to help, after gawking at the sight. Tifa grabbed his other arm, her strength pulling Cloud out of the garage and behind the bar.

Gasping and eyes watering, Cloud meekly crawled up the stairs with Tifa guiding him by the arm, taking him to the bedroom where he could get some fresh air from an open window. The two children stood at the base of the stairs, eyes wide and mouths open. They looked at each other, their little faces pale.

"That wasn't normal," Denzel mumbled.

Marlene shook her head. "Do you think we should check on him?" The girl was reaching for a cup, turning on the tap to collect some cold water.

Denzel softly kicked the bottom step. "I guess so." Marlene grabbed his hand, her other hand holding a cup of water, and they climbed the stairs slowly. They could hear Tifa trying to calm Cloud down.

"It's okay, it's okay...What happened?" Tifa cooed.

"Bad smell..." Cloud moaned back, his voice hoarse.

The children walked through the hallway. They stood in the doorway, Denzel knocking on the side to get Tifa's attention. Both adults turned, Cloud looking up from the open window panting as Tifa rubbed his back. His face was red and his nose running, and his bloodshot eyes regarded the children, lingering on Marlene. The little girl gulped, then walked towards the suffering man. She held out the water cup, Cloud's face softening as he slowly took it from her. He gulped it down with a sigh, then thanked her.

* * *

"Denzel...Are you out of your room again?" A male voice queried from beyond the door.

"...Bathroom, Cloud," the child said, making his way towards the mentioned room.

"Hm."

Damn. Cloud had been catching him snooping more often as the weeks passed by. After the stink-bomb incident, Marlene had made it a habit to avoid Cloud's eye, certain he knew she was the one who lit it, despite her quick re-entrance into the house. Cloud himself had put on a face of normalcy around the children and Tifa, though Denzel couldn't help but suspect he knew he was being watched by the children. Cloud would very often read folklore books at night, the sound of his mumbles and sighs attracting the boy.

One night, Cloud was particularly distracted, seemingly upset at something. His head lay on his wooden desk, and he was bouncing his left knee to help him think. His hands rubbed the sides of his spiky, blond scalp. Denzel stayed absolutely still, listening from the far wall of the hallway, having learned where all the creaky boards were over his time spying.

The man grumbled, almost whined in a low, angry voice. "Why me...a _fucking_ werewolf..." Denzel's eyes widened, everything quieted except the sound of his heartbeat and Cloud's words.

A sigh was let out, heavy and long. "They can't find out..." he nearly whispered.

He lifted his head slowly, the child watching, frozen. "No one can know about this." The grim words sent chills down the boy's spine.

Denzel booked it as quietly as he could into his room, throwing the covers over himself and shutting his eyes, going over Cloud's words as he tried to control his breathing. After a few moments he heard the door to the office open all the way, and soft footsteps leading to Cloud's shared room with Tifa. A few minutes later, the footsteps went downstairs, and the front door closed and locked quietly. Denzel laid still a few moments more, then bounded over to Marlene's bed, shaking the girl awake in his panic.

"Ugh...Denzel, what?" The girl mumbled, her voice annoyed. She heard his ragged breaths and felt shaky hands on her side, and she sat up in bed. He pointed out the window, and both children clamored towards the glass. Denzel pointed towards a spiky haired silhouette on the dark street, walking away from the bar and into the murky darkness beyond. Marlene made a questioning noise, looking back at the boy.

"Where is he going?" she asked.

Denzel shook his head. "I dunno. But he was in his office, talking to himself this time."

The little girl frowned, her concerned eyes highlighted by the light of a streetlamp. "...What did he say?"

Denzel repeated what he had heard, Marlene gasping at the confirmation from Cloud's own mouth. She put a hand to her mouth, her eyes tearing up a little.

"Oh, Cloud..."

Denzel hugged the girl, holding her tight as she quivered. "...Maybe he's wrong, maybe we were wrong too..." His voice shook a little, hoping his hero wasn't going to turn into a fiend.

"...But the stink-bomb, and the books...The meat..." Cloud's meat cravings hadn't let up, and he seemed to almost ignore sweeter foods anymore, for the most part. Whenever they had vegetables or something with noodles in it, he would quietly consume them with a distasteful look unless they were soaked in meat broth.

Denzel sighed. "We'll just watch him some more. Buy a dog whistle, see if he can hear it. Watch him around silver."

"Isn't his earring silver?" Marlene mused, looking up at Denzel.

"No, it was...Um, pewter, not silver." He remembered asking Cloud about the earring a long time ago.

"Do you think he'll come back?" Marlene asked, sitting on her bed now.

Denzel nodded, though he honestly was unsure. "I think he will." The boy went to his bed, jittery from the words Cloud had uttered, but tired from his nights of snooping late. He fell to sleep in time, a fitful rest of dark dreams.

 _Denzel laid on his bed, the door to the hallway creaking open. A silhouette of a familiar spiky haired man glowered at the threshold, the normally kind eyes malevolent in their eerie blue glow. He was looking directly at Denzel. He could hear heavy, raspy breathing emanating from him._

 _"...My secret."_

 _Denzel blinked. "I-I don't know your secret!"_

 _Cloud took a step closer, his left hand jagged claws and fur billowing down his arm. "You saw my secret...No one can know, Denzel." His voice was deadly calm, the child fidgeting in his bed from the icy cold words._

 _"Cloud, please..." the boy pleaded._

 _"No...one..." The clawed hand came rushing down towards the child's chest, the boy screaming._

"H-hey! Denzel!" A little girl squeaked in the darkness. Denzel opened his eyes.

The rest of the family was staring at him in the morning twilight, concern in their eyes. The females flanked his bed, Cloud standing at the foot with his arms folded across his chest. Denzel looked at them all, breathing heavily as he shook off the nightmare. Looking up at Cloud, he swallowed, the blond frowning at the child.

Tifa held onto Denzel's shoulder. "You were having a nightmare...It's okay, it's over."

Denzel didn't think it was over. It might just be the beginning of a nightmare. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just read too many scary books at school." Tifa seemed satisfied with the answer, nodding and responding that breakfast would be ready soon. Marlene hopped onto his bed, giving him a side hug, while Cloud lingered, now standing where Tifa had been and looking down at the two.

"...Try not to read so many scary books, Denzel. You don't want to have nightmares every time you go to sleep." Cloud joked, trying to lighten the mood. He put a hand on the child's shoulder, Denzel inhaling sharply and flinching at the contact. Cloud blinked, his frown deepening. "Right...I'll see you two at breakfast." He headed out of the room and down the stairs, the silence in his wake palpable. Marlene looked at Denzel.

"It was about Cloud, wasn't it?" she whispered.

The boy nodded.

Marlene shook her head. "Can't let him know we know right now. Try to be strong."

Denzel nodded again, preparing himself to be in Cloud's presence downstairs again. It was too soon for him.

He reluctantly made his way down the stairs, noticing his guardians talking to each other as Cloud fixed his coffee; the child slunked towards his seat quietly while eyeballing them. The blond turned to shuffle towards his seat, Denzel sucking in a breath sharply as Cloud went to sit down beside him while sipping his coffee. A moment later he looked down at the boy, blinking.

"You must've read some pretty scary stories to still be spooked like this," Cloud mumbled.

Denzel nodded, then looked back towards Marlene. "Yeah..."

The warrior raised a brow. "What were they about?" He sipped his drink, trying to wake up.

The boy fumbled with his fingers under the table. "Um...Ghosts, n' vampires n' werewolves, too." He glanced up at his guardian, the man's face inscrutable.

Cloud's brow furrowed. "...It's a bit early to be reading Halloween stuff, isn't it?"

"I-I guess so. I just wanted to read something scary lately."

Cloud returned to his coffee, with an almost inaudible whisper into his cup. "Guess we both have..."

Denzel looked away, his fearful blue eyes searching Marlene's brown orbs as Tifa brought their food to the table. He looked down at his oatmeal, then glanced at Cloud's breakfast; he had a disappointed look on his face as he took a spoonful of the warm, runny food and put it in his mouth. The spiky haired man closed his eyes, wincing as he swallowed; Tifa frowned at the face he made.

"Is the oatmeal alright?"

Cloud nodded. "I guess I'm just not interested in it today. I can finish it, though." He scooped again, and swallowed the mouthful quickly, making less of a face this time. Tifa returned to her own breakfast with a small shrug, and Denzel looked back at Marlene, both concerned.

A few minutes later as the children continued to eat, the boy felt eyes on him and looked back up to see Cloud looking at him, the blond having finally finished the oatmeal that displeased him so and sipping from his mug. Denzel shifted his eyes back and forth nervously, causing Cloud to frown.

"You okay, Denzel?" the warrior asked.

"Y-yeah," the boy automatically replied back.

Cloud gave Denzel a concerned look. "If you're sure..." He paused, then his face softened. "I'll be home early, did you wanna help me work on Fenrir?" Denzel loved working on the bike with him.

Denzel paused, thinking. What if Cloud was watching him, did he know he was out of bed last night? He still needed to watch his guardian, even if he was scared. "Uh, sure. I'd like that." He looked up into Cloud's eyes, the man nodding.

"We can do it before you do your homework," Cloud said, turning his head away.

* * *

 _'Everything has to look normal...Just normal. They can't know what's happening to me, I...I'll just find a place to hide away. I'll find a way to make this work.'_ Cloud glanced back at Denzel quickly, sighing. He smelled so fearful. _'...But I'm sure he knows. Denzel isn't stupid...What do I do?'_ Did the boy watch him last night? Did he hear him leave as he made his way towards the church? Cloud was terrified, but he wasn't dragging them into this if he could help it. No, he'd try to keep life as normal as possible for them. He owed them his happiness.

Last night he had walked towards his favorite place to be alone, though lately he came with his family. He needed the alone time, however; the books confirming his fears mostly as the symptoms lined up with what the books said. Cloud was a warrior and a simple, awkward man, but it would be a mistake to think him an idiot; when Geostigma festered on humanity he had tried researching a cure on his own for the sake of Denzel. It was foolhardy, but he gained a lot of knowledge on the subject despite it. But when he came down with the deadly disease...

Walking into the Sector Five slums, or what was left of it, he meandered into Aerith's church in the dead of night as a half moon waxed above him. He watched the shining object with fear, knowing he had a little over a week before his worries were confirmed beyond a doubt. Heaving a heavy sigh, Cloud opened the door to the church, letting himself in to the serene, sacred place. It was as it had been that day he appeared in the waters of the spring, the healing waters curing the diseased of their Geostigma; he slowly shuffled towards the pond of gentle, Lifestream touched water with some hope of curing this malady. Cloud took out a fruit bar to test if the water would cure him of lycanthropy; he had been tempted to bring silver but the fear of leaving some permanent mark, or accidentally having it rub into his skin, or on the terrifying off chance it was true that he was becoming a monster had made him forgo it. No, he knew his tastes were wrong, he knew his nightmares were wrong, his reaction to the stink bomb, being able to tell who was who by scent and sound and the smell of fear...

The urge to hunt as he saw animals on the side of the road. When had he ever wanted to chase a deer?

He shook his head. Moonlight gently reflected off the pool, reminding him again. Cloud sat by the side of the spring, looking from the polished Buster Sword down to the pool of water. "What do I say, what can I do..." He placed the food item down next to him, and stripped off his boots. Hesitating, he looked at his desperate reflection in the pool, his softly glowing eyes revealing all the worry in his soul. The warrior lowered his feet into the pool, hoping for another miracle in his life; the cold water chilled his toes. Standing up, he waded to the deepest part of the pond, biting his lower lip.

Cloud could feel her, here. He said a silent prayer, then quickly lowered himself into the cold waters. It was a chilly burn, the water soaking into his clothes and causing him to shiver. He stayed as long as he could in that crouched position, the funny tingle of the Lifestream blessed waters wrapping around him. Cloud's lungs burned and he looked up towards his original perch; Aerith looked at him from the edge of the pool, sadly shaking her head and walking away. Feeling his oxygen was almost gone, he stood up, shoulders peeking from the waters as he drew heavy breaths. Cloud hurriedly made his way to the edge of the pond and got out, shivering horribly. _'Not my best idea...'_ He looked towards the door to the church, his dear friend's ghost giving him that nod, the one that said it would be okay. Then, she walked out the front door, disappearing.

Was she trying to reassure him? Cloud was used to sometimes seeing the apparition in the church when he visited. A vision that sometimes spoke back, but always listened. He wasn't sure if he was just crazy, or if it really was her, but he leaned towards the latter if just because it felt nicer to think that she was really hanging around. Slicking back his dripping bangs, the warrior took hold of the fruit bar and opened it with shivering hands and put it close to his lips; Cloud bit into it and noshed the soft bar.

"Blegh..." He tried not to gag. Somehow he got it down, then threw the rest of the fruit bar out of the large hole busted into the side of the church in frustration. Cloud held his knees as he shivered, covering his face in his wet pants as he clenched his jaw. "I don't want this. I don't want to eat people. I don't want to hunt Tif-" He cut off his mumbled words, trying to blank out the nightmares. _'There has to be some way...'_

Cloud stood up, still shivering terribly. _'Aerith thinks I'll be okay. I just gotta find a way to do...something. A cure, a way to stay me. Something. They're counting on me.'_ He slowly made his way out of the church, chilled to the bone as he made his way back home with a spring breeze occasionally coming to whip at his back. It was almost four in the morning when when he got back, and he decided to take a hot shower to banish the chill in his bones and to not let Tifa find out about his night wanderings; he wouldn't go back to bed tonight.

It'll be okay. He hoped for that at least.

ter the evening's events.


	3. Children's Fears

The last few weeks had been enough confirmation outside of a transformation for Cloud. Between his senses becoming ever more sensitive, the silver trinket burning his fingers, and the research he had been doing on the nights he was home, and the children's odd behavior towards him...When did Denzel ever try to avoid him? Of course the boy would figure it out, he's the one who mentioned werewolves! Cloud sighed, wondering what would become of he and his family.

This morning as he had gotten his clothing on, wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans, Cloud had knocked off a piece of loose jewelry from the dresser onto the floor. He stared at it, the silvery metal glinting in the sunlight pouring into the room. It was a moment of truth to him, the one thing he'd been avoiding testing out, as if by ignoring it nothing would happen. Everything would go on as usual, despite everything else that confirmed something was wrong. Kneeling down, he had gone to scoop it up, only to be greeted by the sensation of hot iron on his skin. He had dropped the bracelet with a pained grunt and shook his hand. He had looked about, and sniffing he located Denzel's scent nearby; he had quickly fetched his gloves to pick up the bracelet put it back on the dresser.

He was certain Denzel had seen.

He stared down at his maps, not really paying attention to them as much as he was the folklore book open to the side of them. Cloud had been looking for either a cure or a way to control himself somehow when the inevitable occurred, and it seemed there were ways to go completely lucid during a transformation; the books just weren't sure how. He nibbled on a piece of jerky as he turned a page, engrossed in the book's knowledge. He hated not being in control of himself, and every time the thought crossed him the past flashed in his mind. He shuddered at the memories that momentarily invaded his mind, memories of the things he had done when he wasn't sane and under Sephiroth's control. Sighing, he turned a page in the book, hoping to find something of use. He wondered how accurate the books were. They were folklore books, after all, and not an account by an actual werewolf.

Cloud was certainly worried, of course. The pictures in the books and the presumed werewolf that had attacked him almost a month ago painted a terrifying picture of what he could possibly look like during a Full Moon. He ran his fingers through his spiky hair anxiously as he thought about it; the great pain and especially the possibility of killing people out of a primal bloodlust was a worrisome thing to handle for the rest of his life. Still, he figured he'd find some way to cope; his family was counting on him. If he could overcome Sephiroth, this shouldn't stop him, either.

 _'Tweet tweet tweet. Tweeeeeeeet!'_ Cloud looked around, confused; he wondered where that high pitched sound was coming from, his ears perking. It was the second time today he had heard it, and since Tifa had left for her afternoon errands earlier Cloud had no one but the children to ask about the sound. He moved from the bar and took a few steps up the stairs quietly, trying to pinpoint the sound. It sounded again, and he took a few silent strides on the steps. Coming to the top of the stairwell, he located the source: the children's room, of course. _'Must be whatever they bought with the gil I gave them yesterday,'_ he thought, remembering that they had asked for some money to buy a little toy.

He cursed himself for absentmindedly giving the children gil without asking specifically for what, yet again. Yesterday he had been distracted by his thoughts, but almost a year ago he had been dead tired from a long distance delivery. They had come to him while he zoned out at his desk while trying to lay out another route, asking for a little money for a toy. He had complied in a mechanical fashion, grabbing bills out of his wallet, and continued on with his task. Not more than an hour later he had gone to check on them in their bedroom because of a funny scent reaching his nose, and everything had been covered in globs of brightly colored slime they had purchased from the store. Cloud had looked about in shock as the opaque gel coated the beds, walls, and the children themselves.

 _"What...the hell..."_ he had moaned out of his mouth, his eyes wide. Tifa was going to kill _him_.

The children had looked back at him from their little play fight, their faces splattered with yellow and green goo. They had frozen in place after they saw the look on his face. _"Um..."_ Marlene had begun.

The sound of footsteps from the master bedroom had come towards them as Cloud gawked and the children tried to come up with an excuse. _"Is everything alright—Oh my God, what have you two done?!"_ Tifa had been livid, her face panicked.

 _"Uh, Cloud gave us some money to buy a toy..."_ Denzel had mumbled. Tifa had then looked towards Cloud, the warrior slowly meeting her angry gaze with a pale face and a slack jaw. His eyes then traveled back to Denzel.

 _"...How much gil did I even give you? It's everywhere."_ How many little tubs could they have bought? _"There's no way you could have bought this much slime."_ He had still been a state of shock and disgust over the state of the room.

 _"It was on sale!"_ Marlene had chimed, as if that made it a little better. Tifa had grabbed the girl's squishy arm to take her to the bathroom; Cloud had put his hands to his sleepy face and moaned into them out of dread.

Cloud shuddered, remembering how much work it took to get the slime out of fabric and Denzel's hair, for that matter. He had almost resorted to cutting the boy's hair when he saw how mashed in it all was. Moving closer to their room, he pushed aside the little memory.

The door was slightly ajar, and he pushed it open the rest of the way. He locked eyes with a pale, shocked Denzel while Marlene blushed as she held her teddy bear. Cloud walked into the room, the children clearly nervous at his sudden appearance as they lounged on the far bed. He coughed. "...Was the toy you bought...a whistle?" Cloud asked with a raised brow. His arms were crossed over his chest.

Denzel slowly nodded his head, his sweaty hand wrapped around the dog whistle. Was the jig up? Was Cloud going to kill them to keep his secret safe? He held his breath in dread anticipation of what he would do next.

Cloud groaned and put a hand to his face as he looked down. "Okay, I know it was my fault for giving you money and not asking what kind of toy you were buying," he began before he moved his hand away from his face and giving an exasperated look as he brought his head up again, "but could you please play with that outside? It's driving me nuts, and I'm trying to focus on my maps." The children nodded, and Cloud smiled softly. "Thank you." He disappeared from the room, his footsteps falling further and further away. The children looked at each other.

"He heard it!" Denzel whispered. "Cloud could never hear those before." His fears had been confirmed over the last several weeks from observation. At this point, they just wanted to test every angle.

Marlene had a sad look on her face. "The stink bomb two weeks ago had him down on the ground. Tifa was worried he was gonna choke." She had set off one outside the garage doors while Cloud worked on his bike. The stench overpowered him quickly, despite not being a particularly powerful scent.

"I saw him drop some of Tifa's silver jewelry that fell on the ground this morning. He put his gloves on after that..." Denzel said with a look of devastation crossing his face. That was the biggest confirmation that Cloud was a werewolf. Cloud had gone to pick up a bracelet, only to tear his fingers from it as if it had stung him. The blond haired man had looked around, hoping he hadn't been noticed, then fetched his gloves to avoid skin contact with the metal.

Denzel stood up off the bed. "So, what do we do? Cloud's gotta know by now."

"I don't know. He wouldn't try to hurt us, would he?" Marlene held her bear tightly.

Denzel was silent for a minute, uncertain if the words Cloud uttered that one fateful night meant he would harm anyone who found out about his secret, including them. The Full Moon was coming up in a couple of days, and Cloud had been trying to act as if nothing was wrong. But he knew. He watched Cloud look around after the bracelet incident this morning, he knew he had been looking through his encyclopedia. Hell, he sneaked into Cloud's office just to see the folklore books he had borrowed from the library. He wondered if he knew that they knew.

During the nights Cloud was home, the boy would sneak over to the doorway of his office and watch him read those books with interest, mumbling in agreement to symptoms he'd been having, and sometimes, he would take walks in the middle of the night after he finally accepted what he had become. For what purpose, Denzel couldn't fathom yet. Several times he had to book it into his room, Cloud checking on them when Denzel had made too much noise, or perhaps if he had _smelled_ the child outside of his door.

What to do? Bravado was burning in his chest. He looked at Marlene, her sad, brown eyes searching his. Then he stared at the floor. The two of them had been wary of Cloud for nearly a month, and just as the warrior had put on a mask of normalcy so had they. It was Cloud after all, and it wasn't a Full Moon yet. Maybe he was still himself, Denzel concluded. He looked up and nodded. The impasse had to end.

"Maybe we should confront him." He put his lips to the whistle, silently blowing the little thing as hard as he could.

Marlene gasped. "He's gonna kill us! Stop it!" She tried reaching for the whistle but Denzel jerked away as he tooted.

It was too little, too late. The sound of footsteps pushing through the stairwell made it to their ears. Cloud came into sight, his ears covered and an annoyed look on his face that made Denzel stop mid-toot. Cloud took a few steps forward with his hand outstretched, and he motioned for the little whistle.

"Guys, this is too much...You're drivin' me crazy."

Denzel and Marlene looked at each other and then back at Cloud. The little boy fidgeted as he held the whistle. "Cloud, we um..." he looked down towards the floor. Cloud tilted his head, his face softening and conveying concern at the tone of Denzel's voice. He moved closer to the children. There was a tinge of fear in Marlene's eyes as he approached them; Cloud observed her worried eyes with a raised brow and tense jaw.

He sat on Denzel's bed, facing towards Marlene's bed on the far end of the room. "What is it, Denzel?"

The boy looked up into the eyes of his concerned guardian, the man leaning his elbows on his knees. "It's just...You seem kind of...different lately." Denzel shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"...Different?" Cloud narrowed his eyes.

"Y-yeah. You know..." His face was pale as ivory, and he put his head down as his courage waned. Marlene stood frozen as she leaned on the bed. Denzel was choking on his confrontation as he stood by the edge of Marlene's bed. He flinched as a hand landed on his shoulder softly, and it gently tugged him closer. He looked back up at Cloud, terrified, regretting his decision to broach the subject. The warrior had a serious look on his face as Denzel stood next to his right knee, his hand gently but firmly keeping him there.

"...Are you still worried about the wolf attack?" The wound had left no trace of ever existing on Cloud's arm.

 _'He's gonna kill us...'_ The boy sighed. "Yeah." His knees began to shake.

Cloud slowly nodded, and Denzel noticed that he was subtly sniffing the air. He could probably smell their terror. "I see.." He looked between the two. "You've been...watching me, haven't you?" His voice was deadly serious.

Marlene trembled. "Cloud..." She squeezed her teddy bear, her face partially covered by its fuzzy head, as if it could protect her.

"I should have known you two would be watching me from the beginning," he said, a small chuckle leaving his lips. "You're the one that watched me this morning, weren't you Denzel?" The boy squeaked and nodded, his eyes blue orbs full of fear. "I couldn't hold the jewelry in my fingers." Cloud lifted his left hand and showed the small burn marks left from the metal, looking Denzel in the eyes for a few moments with an unreadable face before turning and pointing to Marlene. "You let that stink-bomb off near the garage entrance. I recognized your footsteps before the smell hit me." The girl leaned harder into the bed, letting out a worried little moan. She knew she was unable to leave the room; Cloud could reach the door quicker than she could.

Cloud sighed and put his hand through his soft, spiky hair. "I...honestly don't know how the hell this is possible," he said as he leaned back, propping his arms near his back to keep his recline. His eyes were downcast and the worry on his face was apparent. "But...I'm going to take precautions. I don't want any of you harmed by me, if it's true." His serious demeanor had been replaced with anxiety, a feeling the children held moments before. The tense aura of the room seemed to dissipate, at least.

Denzel blinked. "So...you aren't gonna kill us?" His hands rested on the bed Cloud rested on.

Cloud scoffed as he eyed Denzel. "Why would I do something like that?"

"'Cause werewolves gotta keep their secret safe," Marlene said. She put a hand to her mouth immediately afterward.

Cloud raised a brow at the girl, a small, wry grin forming on his face. He remembered now a small passage in the encyclopedia. "You're right. Maybe I should..." he joked sarcastically. It did not translate well to the children.

"Cloud!" Marlene cried out. Denzel backed away from the bed Cloud occupied, bumping into the far bed. The warrior snorted at the reactions then shook his head. They should know him better than that, but with the situation thrown into their lives it could be forgiven, he thought.

"C'mon, you two and Tifa are the last people I'd wanna see harmed...Please, just don't tell anyone, especially not Tifa. I'm...not ready. I wasn't ready for this talk with you two. I can trust you with this secret, can't I?" He gave the children a pleading look as he hunched over, his elbows back on his knees. "At least until I'm ready to, if it's anything at all." He couldn't help his desire to keep things secret, but this time he intended to tell Tifa, she deserved that much. Even if it was a little late...He just had to make sure.

Denzel looked up at his hero, the man asking two children to keep his secret safe. "...I promise. But if you kill anyone, I'm going straight to Tifa! And I'm gonna put silver in your coffee!" The boy put his curled pinky up in the air, and Cloud slowly entwining his pinky with his, followed by Marlene.

"Fair enough," Cloud said with a smile before suddenly scooping the children up in a hug as they let their guards down. They squeaked in surprise, but returned the affection moments later. "I'm...sorry, I worried you two like that," he said as he slowly released them onto the bed, flanking him. His arms were draped upon their shoulders, his hands gently holding their arms.

"So, what're you gonna do? The Full Moon is almost here. My encyclopedia said you'll probably try and kill anything you can get your hands on." Denzel kicked at the air casually. Marlene looked up at him expectantly.

"I'm going to hide out somewhere I can't get out of easily," Cloud said slowly. "I was thinking an old motel deep on the other side of the Midgar ruins. Sector 8 should do it." He thought for a moment. "I'll say it's for an overnight delivery..."

"You've checked it out already?" Marlene asked.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. It's far enough away and the ruins there are a pain to navigate by foot, even for me. Then there's an abandoned motel there, it should keep me busy long enough if anything happens." He swallowed, the conversation was surreal. He snapped out of his thoughts as the sound of the bar door opening greeted his ears.

"Guys! I'm home!" It was Tifa.

"Remember, not a word." The children nodded solemnly.

* * *

Cloud paced in the dark, lonely room he had chosen in the gloomy depths of the Midgar ruins, wearing nothing but his boxers, not wanting to ruin his clothing. The articles were neatly folded on the other side of the queen sized bed, his belts and black apron hanging from the dusty bed post. He was anxious and felt stupid at the same time, like some sort of lunatic that enjoyed roaming chilly ruins in his boxers. He sighed as he glanced at his phone. 10:51pm. He paced some more, wanting confirmation one way or another.

Maybe it was all suggestion. The dreams, the wound, the silver...The silver is what made him doubt his skepticism the most. That totally wasn't normal at all. At least the kids agreed to be quiet about it all, and he had been convinced to buy them some ice cream during the weekend for it; they had talked some more about his secret, trying to reassure him as only children could. Cloud absently scratched at one of the many scars that marred his torso, wondering how much longer he had to wait until it would start, and he would become some drooling, human eating monstrosity.

 _'This is stupid...'_ he thought, sitting down on the old rusty bed and sighing heavily as the springs protested beneath him. He looked up at the wall, a large mirror greeting him with his reflection. His gently glowing eyes reflected back at him in the darkness, but he noticed something else...Cloud lifted himself from the bed, crossing the room and leaning on the wall next to the mirror; the dresser barricaded the door in the windowless room.

Adjusting his eyesight a little, he took a look at his ear. Rubbing it with his fingers, he noticed it seemed almost pointed and slightly deformed, and he frowned worriedly. Pulling at the side of his mouth, an enlarged canine pulsed in his gums, the pink flesh dribbling a little blood onto his tongue; finally he looked towards his eyes, and the sclera seemed to be darkening, and dark circles grew under his eyes. Finished with his dreaded inspection he turned away, not wanting to see any more, his eyes wide with anxiety. He had a heat burning and growing in his chest and his fingertips ached as he nervously flexed the digits. He could feel his quickening heartbeat as his breath hitched in his throat. _'...This is it.'_ He closed his eyes tightly as he waited for the inevitable, hoping to Gaia that he didn't kill anyone tonight.

He suddenly doubled over from a shock-wave of pain and his abdomen seized up violently, his muscles felt like the were on fire as they warped and grew. Cloud fell to his side while he grimaced and shouted in agony as his bones warped and cracked into new positions they shouldn't be in, as his skull flattened and lengthened and grew sharp, flesh rending teeth. Panting heavily, his voice box warped from grunted screams into deeper throaty growls as fur and thick hide grew upon his body, save his new, dark snouted face and digits; the sounds he uttered caused him to panic further, and a feeling of helplessness he hadn't felt in years rushed into his racing heart. _'I don't want this...!'_

His ears continued to lengthen and rise to the top of his head, increasing his headaches until they finally reached their new resting place; they twitched erratically from the waves of pain that traveled through them. He watched in horror as his hands snapped into some swollen hybrid of a paw and a hand, the deadly claws moist from emerging out of his swollen fingers as if formed from lengthened bone. Tough pads formed on the underside of his new hands and he instinctively flexed them as they finished; his feet responding to the transformation in much the same way, curling them as they cramped and grew and the digits transformed into something suitable for fast movement. His arms and legs lengthened, causing him to snarl and pant in pain; the fur growing on his limbs was less dense than on his torso, and his growing muscles could easily be made out if there was light in the room. He felt his ankles pop and crunch, growing with his legs and bringing more helpless misery to the despondent man.

A pain traveled into his pelvis as he stumbled to stand, discomfort causing him to attempt to relieve it by standing. He heard the tearing of his only article of clothing as his leg muscles thickened. The boxer band began to dig into his furry hips before he slashed it away with a claw hurriedly, the itchy discomfort of cloth on fur finally dulling. With a final crunch as his spine corrected itself, Cloud let out an inhuman scream, blacking out from the stress and pain of the transformation. His last memory was a final look into the mirror as he stood on his hind legs, glancing at the monster he had become in such a short period of time.

* * *

 _ **Pacing, pacing...The room was so small, and he wanted to go out so badly. Something blocked his way out. He began shoving the lightweight furniture out of his way, and clawing at the pathetic door that would release him into the world. A hole formed in the door, and he gnawed at it, enlarging it with his bites. The hole was just big enough for his head to slip through, and now all he had to do was rip the rest of the door to shreds to get out of his new lair. There were scents, scents of old carpet and dust and a distant scent of a sickly human coming from somewhere. That scent interested him the most. He wanted to explore, he really wanted to hunt, he wanted to...He thought hard, his leathery brows wrinkling together. He paused at his work on the door as his brain churned. He took his head out of the hole and blinked.**_

 _ **Pack. Family. Be with a pack. Where was his pack? He tilted his head, and put a paw to his face.**_

 _ **Think harder. 'What am I doing?' He shook his large head. He felt like he was in a dream. 'Who am I?'**_

 _ **'Wolf...Right?'**_

 _ **A certain scent reached his snout, different than the ones beyond the door, and he traveled to the source. He jumped on to the springy old bed, a small snap coming from beneath him; there was something on it. Human clothing...His clothing. It smelled like himself, didn't it? That meant it was his. He took a long whiff of the shirt and pants, his nose lingering on them. It smelled like someone else, too. A claw came to inspect the clothing further, lifting the article by a hole in its side. A woman, children...scents billowed out. The scent of flowers...? He shook his head again.**_

 _ **'Who am I?'**_

 _ **'I...'**_

 _ **'I...am...'**_

 _ **'Cloud...Cloud. My name is Cloud.'**_

 _ **He collapsed onto his clothing, rubbing his head into it sadly as he held them tightly in a pile to concentrate the scents. His family. He remembered just enough.**_

* * *

The two children whispered in their room as Tifa shuffled to her bed, the woman not thinking anything wrong with the overnight delivery Cloud said he had to do. She had been curious, considering he had told her recently that he'd rather keep away from distant jobs for the time being and he certainly never did deliveries during the night.

 _"A delivery, tonight? Where do you have to go?"_ She had inquired.

Cloud looked down. _"A village on North Continent. Said they really need the delivery bad."_

Tifa had stared at him, thinking of any possible thing that it could be an ulterior motive for, or excuse. She really couldn't think of anything he would be up to, so she just nodded. _"Well, just be careful, then."_ She had flashed him a soft smile, and Cloud blinked several times, staring at her as if unsure she really had said that.

He gave her a hug right after, but it felt different than his usual ones; in fact, it reminded her of the ones he would give after he returned home after defeating Sephiroth again. Searching hugs to make sure everything was alright, that he was forgiven for his abandonment. Was he searching for reassurance, she wondered? Reassurance for what? Was the route dangerous? Regardless she had returned the hug happily, then gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. _"I'm sure everything will be alright, Cloud."_

Cloud had given her a gentle smile, as if her words were what he had needed to hear from her at that very moment. _"Yeah."_

The kids knew what the "delivery" he spoke of actually was, and the anxiety from it kept them up; they were worried for Cloud, and if he would return the same person they loved after tonight. Marlene shifted in her bed, looking over at Denzel.

"I hope Cloud's okay."

Denzel nodded. "I hope so, too."

"Do you think he'll be back in the morning?"

"Yeah." He was more certain this time around.


	4. Zoo Fun

"Uuuurgh..." Cloud moaned, his body tired and aching. Where was he? He looked around at his environment, momentarily confused. Looking down, he noticed his face had been buried in his clothing, and he was laying on the old bed on his stomach, naked. Rolling onto his back and sitting up, he recognized the remains of his boxers strewed about the front of the room like confetti. He picked a piece up and lifted it to face level, letting it fall back to the carpet after a moment. He let out a morning sniffle.

The room wasn't particularly trashed, a hole in the wall near the mirror and where the dresser hit the drywall, but he noticed the door had almost been breached. Cloud swallowed, getting up gingerly and walking towards the door, the dresser flung towards the wall last night. He laid a hand on the large claw marks that marred the door, one of his fingers laying over a large hole that peeked into the dark hallway beyond, teeth marks moistening the head sized hole. Sighing, he tried to think back. Why didn't he continue to rip the door to shreds? What stopped him?

Cloud closed his eyes, thinking. It was like a dream. He was going to tear the door down, but something stopped him, a smell. The smell of them, on his clothing. He looked back at the pile on the bed, walking towards them. He picked the articles up and breathed deeply, the smells not quite as strong as they were last night. Did he remember last night? He squinted in the dark room, remembering pieces here and there. The pain he went through was bad enough to make him black out, but he remembered the image staring back at him in the mirror, shuddering. He hoped no one ever saw him, ever. Cloud rubbed his face and let out a little groan, the monochrome image burned into his mind.

He felt like a monster despite not having done anything particularly monstrous last night. It was a dull, aching feeling in his chest, and a terrible doubt swirling in his mind. What if it was a fluke? What if his control over the beast inside him was fleeting? Cloud bit his lip, then lifted his hand to stare at it. Claws ripped through the tips last night. What if they tore through Marlene, Denzel, Tifa? He shuddered. He didn't want to be a dangerous beast that could rip through his family like they were tender baby chocobos.

"What would Zack do..."

Cloud sometimes asked himself that if he was feeling unsure, if his doubts overwhelmed his mind. What would Zack do in this situation? Cloud let out a short chuckle. Zack wouldn't give up on himself, that's for sure. He wouldn't stop trying to control himself, either. He could practically hear his best friend cheering him on, that everything would be okay, and that if he could throw off Sephiroth, this would be nothing. Zack would believe in him. Aerith certainly had at the church.

Cloud took in a deep breath, then exhaled sharply. "No time to be pitying myself." He assured himself he'd make it.

He began dressing himself, his clothing wrinkled slightly and moist from werewolf drool here and there by his compunction to sniff them during the night for comfort and focus. His pants felt strange without any sort of underwear on, but he ignored it; he could always put on new ones at the house after a needed hot shower. He adjusted his belt, and collected his phone; reading the time on the front it was 6:30am. No voice mail messages, no texts. He put his socks and boots back on, the morning chill dulling from his feet. Looking in the mirror, his eyes were slightly bloodshot and his hair fluffed like a rabid chocobo. He put his hands through his locks in an attempt to tame them with some success. He looked about the room one last time, deciding he'd need to reinforce the next room he used just to make sure nothing happened; last night was a close enough call for him. He stood still a moment, thinking back. He distinctly remembered smelling humans nearby. What if he had gotten out? Guess Denzel would have had to tell Tifa his secret.

Entering the pitch-black hallway, Cloud made his way towards the stairwell that would lead him to Fenrir, the bike hidden behind another building on the other side of the abandoned road, just in case there were any scavengers about during the night. A noise made him pause and stare...Someone was coming up the stairs, noisily. Two people. He looked about, finding a custodian's closet, silently entering the room and creaking the door open just enough to see when they finally passed his position. Soon enough, two voices came into focus.

"...I told you, I heard a scream from here last night, man!" The voice was excited.

"Maybe it was a druggie ODin' off some of the new juice?" This voice was older.

"I dunno. Pretty freaky, though. Should we be here, after that?"

"Might be some decent scrap, Sector 8 hasn't been picked clean. Whatever was screaming is long gone, nothin' to worry about! Boss'll be happy if we bring back some valuables."

The two men continued their chat as they went down the hallway Cloud came from, passing by his hiding spot. Their flashlights glittered light across the hallway, one beam focused on the door that led to the room he had used last night. _'Crap,'_ Cloud thought, watching. The one man entered the room and a soft beam of light shone through the big hole in the door, the man letting out a whistle as he observed the claw marks on the other side of the door, his hand on the wet, jagged wood.

"Musta been a trapped monster!" The word 'monster' made Cloud wince. He wasn't a monster. Was he? He had an entry in Denzel's encyclopedia now, however...

"Hey man! There's fabric all over the floor, too!" Cloud's mind went back to his furry body making his boxers all but explode.

"Freaky. Ya think it had itself a snack?"

Cloud had heard enough. He creaked the door open and swiftly made his way towards the stairwell to the sounds of shuffling feet and soft lights hitting his backside. A shout made it to his ear, but he continued his sprint, maneuvering over the rail and falling the three stories to the bottom of the motel, the drop a cakewalk to the seasoned, enhanced warrior. He ran outside into the dimmed light of the sector, quickly making it across the street to his bike. He jammed the keys in and revved, speeding off an abandoned road that would lead towards Edge. Looking back, Cloud didn't see any pursuers.

 _'It was supposed to be abandoned, damn it!'_ He sighed heavily, blasting quickly down the road towards home. If they saw him, it could complicate things, maybe. Maybe not, who took scavengers seriously? But if they ever visited the bar, it might really complicate things. _'Tifa...How will you cope with this?'_ Broken one way, and now broken another way, it seemed; Cloud wasn't going to get a break. He accelerated, the road turning towards the northeast, a view of the craggy beaches of the Midgar shore coming into view.

The mornings were a favorite time for Cloud. Even now, the baby blue sky with white and rose pink clouds calmed his inner self, a fleeting peace found after sinister nights and before the bustle of the sunny day. Whenever he had a delivery where he would have to sleep away from his home, he would wake up in time to watch the sunrise. The rays of light he bathed in always felt like they were burning away his past sins. Could they feel like that, now, though? He didn't know.

* * *

Finally home, Cloud brought the bike into the garage, making sure to shut it off outside and wheel Fenrir inside to not have the noise levels wake the neighbors up from the echoing. As he went to the door that lead to the bar, the smell of bacon reached his nose, and he almost drooled from the smell of the cooking meat, his teeth clenched in some semblance of a smile. He reasoned that he was just terribly hungry, shaking the feral sensations from his mind. Opening the door, he was greeted by Tifa with a hug that he returned warmly, happy to see her.

 _'Would she be happy to see me, too, if she knew what I was up to?'_ A frown formed on his face.

"What's wrong, Cloud?" Tifa looked up at him with a curious expression on her face as she periodically checked the frying meat.

"Hm. Just thinking about last night. Missed you and the kids." It wasn't a lie, he really did.

Tifa smiled at him and went back to cooking. "I'll have some breakfast ready soon, Cloud. How about you relax for now?" Cloud nodded and headed upstairs, ready for a shower. His footsteps were heavy, his body still sore from last night. He hoped hot water could shake it off.

As he turned the corner two warm objects nearly knocked him off his feet, and he looked down to the children hugging his legs in greeting and worry. Marlene hopped up and down, and Denzel grabbed his hand, ushering him into their room. Cloud sat on Denzel's bed, the two children sitting on either side of him expectantly. Denzel chimed his query first.

"S-so, how was it? Did you...?" His eyes were shimmering up at his hero, worried about the unseen events last night.

Cloud put a hand to his face and rubbed his tired eyes. "It hurt a lot." Was he really going to have to deal with this every month for the rest of his life, he wondered?

"You didn't hurt anybody?" Marlene asked. She put a hand on his knee, her little brows knitting together.

He shook his head. "No."

"...Do you remember anything?" Denzel asked, frowning.

Cloud's head was leaning back, looking up at the ceiling. He pulled his head down slightly, thinking. "Yeah. Yeah, I do." He looked down at the floorboards. "I remember...thinking about everyone... and that brought me back a bit, like I woke up in a dream." He swallowed hard, remembering. He wasn't totally himself, but it was as if he was on top of the wolf and not the other way around.

"Then what did you do?" Denzel had tucked his knees up, his face laying on them.

"Just fell asleep on the bed." He shrugged, not having much to add.

Marlene giggled. "You're a boring werewolf!"

Cloud sighed, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. He had a shy smile on his face from the girl's remark. "I'd rather be boring, in that case." He looked at both the children, a piercing look in his blue eyes. "You two were good for Tifa while I was gone, right?" Now it was his turn to grill.

At once, they both spoke. "Yeah!"

"Not a peep of trouble?"

Marlene huffed. "We were too worried about you to cause trouble, Cloud."

Cloud nodded, patting them on their backs. "Good. I better get cleaned up. I'll be home the next couple of days, it'll be just you two, Tifa and I."

The two looked at each other and back at Cloud. "We wanna go to the zoo today!"

Cloud blinked. "Is that a good idea?"

Denzel shrugged.

* * *

"Wow, Cloud, I don't think any of the animals like you here..." Tifa said, somewhat amused at her sweetheart's predicament. As they approached the next animal enclosure, one for a rare kind of four-eared rabbit from Mideel, the small group of creatures hopped away into their dens; Denzel and Marlene groaned with disappointment, then looked back at Cloud with a frown. He scratched the back of his head and shrugged, not being able to help the situation.

He sort of wished he could catch one though, just for fun... _'What do they taste like...? What the hell is wrong with me?"_

Just about every enclosure he got too close to resulted in the captive animals either skittering away or challenging him, and in some cases, he dreaded admitting, he wanted to take them on for it. A small heat had risen up in his chest as a lion attempted to stare him down, the fresh werewolf clenching the metal bars and letting a low growl escape his throat, the sound surprising him; it wasn't a human imitation. Fortunately Tifa hadn't noticed; the children distracted her at that moment with another enclosure. He had taken a few breaths to steady himself, the heat in his chest dissipating.

"Guess not. Kids seem to be enjoying themselves, though." He gave her a lazy smile, walking towards the next enclosure, the children running towards it. Cloud sniffed the air as the wind blew through the trees; the scent belonged to wolves and he stiffened slightly. Walking up to the enclosure, the wolves looked at him curiously, then went back to their business as if he didn't exist. Denzel pushed himself up on the enclosure bars, looking down at the environment set up for the animals. He grinned mischievously at Cloud, then towards Tifa. Cloud frowned.

"Hey, Cloud! The wolves don't seem to have a problem with you!" He gave him a wink as Cloud's cheeks burned bright pink and he frowned harder back at the boy. He tried to mouth "Cut it out!" to Denzel as Marlene giggled at the sly wink to Cloud's secret.

"Seems that way, doesn't it?" Tifa said, suddenly behind Cloud. He took a sharp inhale of air, and she grinned, rubbing his spiky locks. "Our Cloudy Wolf."

"...Cloudy Wolf?" Cloud moaned, Denzel and Marlene delighted at the nickname. His hand rested on his hip, indignant, as he tried to hide his embarrassment from the woman. Tifa wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned her head on Cloud's shoulder, a small chuckle coming from her pink lips. The scent of her hair floated to his nose, flowery and intoxicating, his hand creeping to her waist to match her. Tifa gave Cloud a little squeeze, gently pushing the side of her hip into his. The children wrinkled their nose at the sight of cooties and went back to ogling the wolves as their guardians watched on. Cloud felt more at peace in this moment than he had all week, and he savored it, the feeling of love and family, even if he had yet to broach a certain subject with Tifa.

"Mmm...You okay, Cloud?" Tifa was looking up at him, her red eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

He motioned his eyes slightly downward towards her. "Yeah. Why?"

"You always have that far away look in your eyes when you're thinking hard about something...Even when you're smiling." She put her free hand up to her mouth, as if she would stifle a giggle.

Cloud looked down at her, giving her a dorky smile. "Guess I can't help it, can I?"

* * *

Flipping through Denzel's monster encyclopedia, he went back to the 'transmissions' entry for werewolves, just in case he missed anything. He read the entry: _'Werewolves transmit their disease or curse through saliva, mucus and blood during transformations, the only time they are infectious. Open wounds in contact with these bodily fluids will transfer to the victim; claws are usually infectious from remnant fluid.'_ So only infectious when he changed, he reasoned. He scratched the back of his head, having read that werewolves could eventually change at will, only being forced to change during the Full Moon. Cloud's mind went back to yesterday with the zoo and the lion, the heat building up in his chest as if he would rip out of his own skin right there in the middle of the day. _'How embarrassing.'_

He got up from Denzel's bed, replacing the book back on the nightstand. Marlene and Denzel were at a friend's house for the night, and Cloud had helped Tifa with the bar most of the day, wanting to tell her, knowing she would be there for him...Or so he hoped. Every time he wanted to say it the words would get stuck in his throat, or a customer would barge in when he gained enough courage to say it. Tifa had always been his pillar, despite the Geostigma, despite the abandonment...He promised he'd never do that again. Because of Tifa and the family they had, he'd learn to relax, to laugh and smile more. Still, a nagging doubt buried itself in him; this wasn't fatal like Geostigma, but he'd certainly be a liability to them if he couldn't either find a good hiding place or stay lucid during his monthly transformation, if he could keep it to one a month. His mind again went back to the zoo, and the trouble that could have possibly caused.

Leaving the childrens' room, he made his way to his bedroom, Tifa greeting him on the bed. She shyly looked up at him, her deep ruby eyes drawing him closer. Removing his T-shirt, he shuffled into bed and under the covers, turning his lamp off. Cloud turned around, embracing Tifa under the blankets, his calloused hands traveling over her soft skin, her scent flooding his nose and sending chills down his spine. His new trouble had certain perks at least, and being able to smell Tifa fully was one of them. Tifa shifted closer, her fingers trailing over his chest, making his breath hitch in his throat as she grazed her nails over his skin. She smiled in the darkness, looking into the only thing she could make out; Cloud's glowing eyes.

"Hey," Tifa whispered, "you had something you wanted to tell me earlier, right?"

Cloud gulped and shifted his eyes downward. "Maybe..."

"What was it?"

He instinctively knew his revelation would ruin the mood. Just one more night where everything was normal between them would be enough for him. Shaking his head as if to deny the query, he looked back up at Tifa, his eyes gentle, a hand pushing a stray hair from Tifa's face. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb, and brought his face closer to hers, moving his hands into warm brown hair. He gave her a kiss that Tifa happily gave back, his tongue pushing through after a few moments. Her mouth was sweet and heavy, and as he probed she caught his tongue and sucked it. He let out a grunt when she was finished, parting and giving her a lusty smile he knew she couldn't see, but he couldn't help.

"Naughty." he said in a low, husky voice.

She giggled and brought a hand up to Cloud's face, lazily tracing his jawline, then tracing his soft lips as they parted her own. He softly latched onto the finger playfully with his teeth, giving it a small lick. Tifa withdrew her finger and giggled again, Cloud smiling as he shifted on top of her, a warm glow in his chest that had nothing to do with werewolves, despite feeling like a ravenous wolf at the moment. She mewled in anticipation, tracing her nails on his back. He began to grind on her as he licked her neck near her pulse point, savoring the taste of her skin.

Cloud shuddered as her nails grazed his back, and he began gently nipping at her neck slowly, her skin smooth and soft. He looked up towards her face, his hot breath on her neck, and she let out a little moan, eyes closed, oblivious to the feral, lusty glint in his eyes. Tifa unbuttoned her nightshirt, giving him the view he desired; Cloud came to her shoulder and began sucking softly on the skin, a little gasp escaping her lips when he sucked harder, one of her hands coming to grab the hair on the back of his head. He would make sure she enjoyed tonight for all the hell he was probably going to put her through later on, as if he could ever make it up to Tifa.

Her nails digged into his scalp and lower back, and he caught himself before he snarled. It felt good, but he couldn't allow himself to make any noises that might come off as...wrong. Cloud busied himself by tracing his hand down her chest, feeling her buck as he grazed her belly with the tips of his fingers. He lowered his hand into her panties and started to rub, watching her writhe in pleasure underneath him as he fondled her. The scents being dredged up made a level of control slip. He shifted his body weight a little then lowered his head to suck on her nipple as he continued to pleasure her.

He continued on, listening to her breaths grow quicker and harsher as he rubbed her and lapped and nipped at her breasts, his name on her lips now as she pleaded through that chant to please not stop, rolling her hips against his hand. She moaned loudly as she reached her climax, grinding herself on his hand and grabbing at the bed sheets as she slowly came to from her bliss. Cloud smirked before yanking off her panties and then pulling down his pants, but he paused a second to get a sample of her scent. He shuddered, the pheromones that had an effect on his usual, enhanced sense of smell were churning in his brain, an animalistic desire to mate thundering through his body now.

He gave himself a few strokes as he soaked in the sight of Tifa laying naked beneath him, her breasts quivering with every breath she took as she experienced the warm afterglow in her nether region. Cloud wasn't going to let her off just yet. He had to mark her. Tifa was _his_ mate, and those strange males that go into the bar better get that through their heads quick. He pushed himself into her slowly, groaning at the delicious friction as he eased into her. He felt her legs wrap around his waist and he gave a few pumps of his hips after adjusting his hands on either side of Tifa.

 _'Mine. My territory...Stop...'_

He took a heavy breath to clear away the beast's influence, then leaned towards his lover's mouth to kiss her deeply, slowly setting up his pace and enjoying the moan that he caught with his mouth. Cloud then leaned his lips towards Tifa's ear, making sure to avoid the silver stud she placed on either lobe, and whispered his feelings before quickening the pace.

"I love you, Tifa."


	5. Fearful Truth

The next few days had been uneventful, and Cloud and Tifa's lovely night hadn't lead to Cloud confessing to her his secret, despite his desire to do so; it never felt like the right time, never felt like it could leave his mouth. The warrior wondered how he could even utter the words to her, always stuttering his words until he said something that had nothing to do with werewolves.

"You've been acting kind of strange lately, Cloud. I know you wanted to tell me something earlier in the week..." Tifa said as she began making breakfast.

Cloud almost choked on his coffee. Swallowing it down, he shook his head softly. "...W-well, I..." The sleepy warrior looked down into his drink, staring at his rippling reflection in the light brown pool.

"Hm?" Her back was to him as she cracked some eggs into her pan.

"...I think I might have to replace the water heater, it's been sputtering." he lied, scowling at his cowardice. _'I can't keep this crap up.'_

"Oh, you're kidding! But, is that really what's been on your mind?" Tifa pressed, not quite buying into his words. He knew that tone of voice.

Cloud shrugged, even though she couldn't see it. "It's a big purchase." He said stoically.

The woman sighed. "I see." The delivery boy could tell she wasn't believing a damn word, just pretending to get it over with. "...Do you want anything else with your breakfast?" Tifa was studying his response now.

She had made bacon and eggs, and that was enough for him these days. He wondered how long she had noticed that he didn't ask for toast anymore, or pancakes; he never took Tifa for a fool, but he knew she couldn't guess why he wasn't interested in the foods he used to happily eat. It was just too crazy, even for him in the beginning. "No thanks, Teef."

He still didn't know how Tifa hadn't observed the burn mark where she laid her silver stud against his skin, considering it was quite visible on his exposed chest. Or maybe she did, and she just didn't say anything. It was still healing, the mark tiny and brown, and itchy as hell. She had laid her head on his chest until he couldn't take the pain anymore as he bit his lip, feigning a need for the bathroom. Cloud had checked his chest while there, the mark aching and dry. When he had returned to bed, she was fortunately laying on her back, the risk from the silver reduced considerably.

He drove back towards Edge in the twilight, after taking some packages to Kalm and Healen Lodge that needed delivery earlier in the day. The short deliveries were nice, they paid enough and kept him busy and on the lookout for any place that he could use as the next hiding spot. Cloud had decided that the edge of the Midgar Wastes near the mountains might be the safest place to hide; humans rarely came out there and there was plenty of space to roam. He noted a cavern he could hide his things in, hidden by sparse mountain flora. Cloud had stopped Fenrir as he approached the hole in the cliff face, dismounting and coming to check the cavern out. It was wide and large enough to fit his bike in it to hide from any passerby that happened to be crazy enough to come out this far in the Wastes. Satisfied, he made a mental note of the location and took note of any landmarks before driving off again.

He wondered if he should go out there some night to test himself, understanding it was a definite risk no matter what, if he could find a way to change voluntarily. But he reasoned, if he could just keep lucidity he wouldn't be a such a danger to others. The first time was complete agony, but he gained his composure within the hour, or so it seemed. The lore books said it would become easier and less painful as time went on, and he hoped it was true; the pain was the worst part by far and what lead to him losing himself in the first place; the animal instincts that now resided in him took over after his blackout, before he recovered.

It wasn't that lucidity was a magic button that made him a safe and cuddly fur ball, but it kept the terrifying desires of the monster inside him in check mostly he had noticed. Cloud noted the feelings were similar to being very hungry or aroused; a weakening of day to day self control. He was still himself somewhere in there, but part of him wants to chase something down with his bare claws and teeth. Even as a human, sometimes the sight of a running human or animal would stir something inside him, though easily squelched. Cloud wondered if it could be relieved by doing certain activities the wolf would do, as if to compromise.

His mind returned to his current task as he returned home in the evening; finding a good time and place to tell Tifa his new problem, and hoping she would be there for him yet again. How much has he asked of her in such a short span of time? When could he properly give back what she had given? He greeted Tifa with a hug as he left the garage, his facial expression vacant and Tifa giving him one of her inquiring looks, knowing that face of his when he was troubled.

"Cloud? You okay?" She raised a brow at him, waiting for an answer. His behavior lately had her suspicious; he always seemed to want to say something to her, but wouldn't.

"Mm." He kissed her forehead, as if it would quiet her curiosity.

She chuckled, smiling at the gesture. "If you say so..." Tifa turned away, towards her dinner preparation. Cloud sniffed the air, and smelled roasting beef. His mouth watered; Tifa's pot roasts were always welcome after a day of deliveries, werewolf or not.

Snapping out of his thoughts and damning himself for not saying what was on his mind, he retreated upstairs and knocked on the childrens' bedroom door. "It's me." Cloud said to the two children on the other side of the door, and let himself in. Marlene and Denzel looked up from their homework, giving Cloud a smile as they left their small table and hugged him. He squeezed them back then patted them, his face suddenly serious. Marlene put her hands on her hips, giving a stern look of her own.

"You haven't told Tifa yet, have you?"

"Been meaning to." Cloud blushed and looked down and to the side. "I...don't know how to broach the subject with her."

"What's stopping you, Cloud?" Denzel asked lightheartedly, unsure what could stop someone like him. He beat Sephiroth twice, but he was afraid of Tifa? "It's just Tifa."

Cloud sighed, eyes closing. "Guess I'm just scared. What if she kicks me out? I could understand if she did that..." He rubbed the back of his neck, anxiety plastered all over his face. _'She'd have every right to, with kids in the house...'_

The children shook their heads. "Tifa wouldn't! Even if she tried, we wouldn't let her." Marlene looked up, defiant. Denzel smiled and nodded enthusiastically at her statement.

Cloud looked back at the kids, moved by their care for him. "Thank you. But, I need to find the right time to tell Tifa. The longer I wait, the worse it's gonna be."

"Tell me what, Cloud?" A melodious voice sounded behind him, and he froze, his face turning beet red. The children looked up at each other, then at the mortified Cloud, and then to Tifa. They stood next to Cloud, the spiky haired man slowly turning to face her, his blue eyes wide and his face as red as could be. Tifa looked at him with concern, stepping closer. "...You aren't sick again, are you?" Her brows came together.

Cloud's voice croaked. "Kind...of." He looked down, not being able to face her eyes.

Tifa's eyes widened. "It's not Geostigma again, is it?" She instinctively went for his left arm, looking it up and down. "Is this what you wanted to tell me the other night?" He nodded softly in response.

"Teef...It's not Geostigma. It's..." He bit his lip, unable to say it. his hand was visibly shaking in Tifa's grasp, the warrior paralyzed with fear in front of someone he loved. Marlene looked up at him, a frown on her face. She looked towards Tifa, and she looked down at the little girl.

"Tifa, Cloud's a werewolf now. It's why all the animals at the zoo didn't like him." Marlene said it in such a way that it seemed like nothing to the child.

Tifa looked down at the little girl with a frown, and then back up to Cloud, the blonde breathing quickly and looking at her like a beat child. "A...a werewolf? I...thought they didn't exist..." He caught it, a small whiff of fear.

"I was wrong. That damned thing that attacked me..." He momentarily eyed his left arm.

She shook her head. "But...It's been over a month, aren't you supposed to...?" Her frown deepened. Cloud wasn't the best at hiding things, but this was so out there for her she could understand how she didn't pick up that this was what was wrong earlier. Things started to click in her head as she awaited his answer, all the clues dropped the past month...

He slowly nodded. "I did. Deep in the Midgar Ruins, away from others as best I could." he whispered, avoiding eye contact again. His voice was grim.

Tifa quietly gasped and dropped Cloud's arm, hands to her mouth, eyes wide. He looked at her as she gasped, and it pained Cloud, her looking at him like that, her scent so terribly fearful. He felt bile in his throat.

"You didn't...kill...anyone, did you...?"

Cloud shook his head, his face still red. "No."

Denzel chimed in. "...You aren't mad, are you Tifa?"

"How long have they known?" she whispered, motioning towards the children, hurt and fear growing in her voice.

"Since before I believed it myself," Cloud said with a shrug. "I didn't mean for them to find out..."

"We confronted him, he's too scared to say it himself." Denzel said. Cloud gave him a wayward glance, then looked back at Tifa. She stood there, still holding her hands up to her mouth, blinking. She quietly backed away, still staring at Cloud like he was a wild animal, then calmly left the room, her footfalls descending the stairwell quickly. Cloud doubled over, groaning nervously.

"Cloud! You aren't turning into a wolf, are you?" Marlene asked, concerned.

"Nope," Cloud said as he shook his head. "way worse than that." he groaned out. He flopped onto one of the beds, his face grimacing. His eyes burned and his mouth was dry, and his hands came up to his face, blanketing any light that could possibly enter. He felt and smelt Denzel sitting next to him, the boy putting a hand on Cloud's chest. He put his hand over the child's, whispering a soft "Thank you" as he tried to calm down from the recent turn of events.

"Cloud...Do you think we're still gonna be a family?" Denzel asked meekly. The orphan couldn't stand the thought of losing his home a third time.

Cloud opened his uncovered eye, looking at the child. "I hope so..."

"What do we do if she..." The child looked on the verge of tears.

"I'll leave, I don't want you and Marlene to be without Tifa." It's not like he hadn't gone through such a thing before.

Denzel shook his head hard. "No. I don't want that again, I want a real family. I want you and Tifa."

Cloud shuddered a sigh. "We'll see, Denzel." He patted the child's hand.

* * *

Tifa hurried about the galley, looking for the vegetables she would need to complete dinner, near panicking as her mind raced. _'Werewolf, a werewolf...Cloud's one of those things that eat people and kill things and...'_ She thought back to a few nights ago, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. They had sex, and he hadn't told her what he had become. Tifa felt some considerable anger well inside her, remembering how he avoided the question before having his way with her...Not that she had any objections at the time. Her eyes narrowed and she nearly marched back up the stairs to sock him in the jaw. _'Ah, the kids don't need to see that. Still...'_

What if he infected her? Could that happen? A shiver ran down her spine. No, Cloud wouldn't risk that, would he? that wouldn't be like him, and the Cloud upstairs was reacting like he would in such a scenario; he hated straight talk with her. Tifa peeled the carrots, mulling over the possibilities, the things she had missed; he ignored the foods he used to love, happily eating meat and forcing down vegetables, the 'overnight delivery' the night of the Full Moon, which was something he'd never done before, the animals acting strangely towards him at the zoo, despite it being a normal zoo affair the last time they went...

Was that what his hug was for, that night before he left? He wanted to be reassured that everything would be okay. Now she understood; this was what he wanted assurance over. But what about herself, how would he reassure her of the family's safety? She squeezed her eyes shut to think through emotions and memories and thoughts.

It was almost too much for the strong woman.

"Tifa, you aren't gonna leave Cloud, are you?" Marlene had marched downstairs after the woman, Tifa busying herself with dinner and trying to process everything she had heard. She looked at the little girl, her face pale and eyes still wide. Tifa clenched her jaw.

"Marlene, I...No, I'm not leaving him." She said quickly, chopping a carrot as she did so. "It's just...um..." She bit her lip, her breath quivering.

"What?" Marlene sat at the bar, waiting intently on Tifa's answer as the woman prepared the sides to their supper.

"I...might...have a fear of werewolves. The movies when I was a little girl terrified me, and so did the howls from the wolves in the forests surrounding the town. In fact, some of the kids would joke that it was werewolves looking for children to eat." Tifa looked in the fridge, retrieving the butter. "...I guess it's silly coming from me."

"So you're scared of Cloud?" The little girl frowned.

Tifa slowly nodded, swallowing. "...Honestly, a little bit. I know he wouldn't do anything to hurt us, Marlene, I do, it's just...I'm afraid of werewolves. I have to overcome it myself." She paused, cooking the carrots on the stove top. "I wish he would have said something earlier." She mumbled.

Marlene giggled. "He's bad at telling you things, isn't he? But, I think he might be more scared of your reaction than you are of werewolves."

Tifa smiled at her. "I think you might be right. But, look, we'll figure it out. We always do. It'll just take time." She looked back at the carrots, then back to Marlene. "Hey, can you tell the boys dinner will be ready soon?" Tifa hadn't shaken her nervous fear at all, but she was putting on her best face for everyone.

The little girl nodded, bounding up the stairs. She reached their bedroom quickly, Cloud and Denzel both looking up as she entered, the girl interrupting their conversation. They both looked sad, as if their family was about to be torn apart, the boy clinging to his hero tightly as Cloud sat on the bed. Marlene walked up to the bed and sat on the other side of Cloud, holding onto his back as he placed an arm around her.

Marlene looked up at him. "Tifa said she's really, really scared of werewolves."

Cloud's face warped with more anxiety. "...She's afraid of me then, isn't she?" His heart dropped.

"A little bit." Marlene smiled at him. "She also said she wasn't gonna leave you. So, I guess she hasn't given up on you yet."

Cloud's heart nearly burst out of his chest as a smile grew on his face. Denzel smiled, hugging tightly, Marlene doing the same. Cloud returned the gesture happily, his family not as fragile as he feared, though he knew he might still be treading on thin ice. The children finally left the bed, leaving the room. Marlene popped her head out of the door, waving as she smiled.

"Oh yeah! Time for dinner, Cloud!"

He lifted himself off the bed, walking towards the hallway. "Great."

* * *

Leaving the shower, Cloud dried himself off with his towel, rubbing his now fluffy, spiky hair of excess water. He wiped the mist off the mirror before brushing his teeth. He looked at his reflection, trying to see if his new existence as a werewolf would change his face or body any. His four canines seemed slightly sharper and longer, but nothing dramatic seemed to have marked him physically. He thought back to his dinner, the event tense despite Tifa's guarantees to the children she wasn't leaving him.

Dinner had been quiet, the tension palpable. Tifa had refused to look him in the face, and he felt he couldn't look at her either because of his feelings of embarrassment, his cheeks welling with color. Her face had been pale, her hand shaking after each bite of food he observed; Cloud would watch her out of the corner of his eye or when she thought he didn't see, making him frown. The smell of her fear was so strong he was surprised he could smell her cooking at all through it, and it pained him to smell it from her of all people.

He had wondered at one point if she was expecting him to grow fangs as he ate the pot roast, occasionally looking at him when she thought he was too engrossed in the meal to notice her; part of him wondered why he hadn't, the meat she cooked was perfect. Spitting the minty suds out and rinsing his mouth, Cloud put on his night clothes; the usual pajama pants and T-shirt. He took another look at himself in the mirror, his face a worried frown. He sighed and tossed his towel in the hamper.

Leaving the bathroom, his bare feet softly walked upon the creaky wooden boards towards their shared bedroom. Tifa was already looking up towards the doorway before he appeared there, her red eyes round, reminding him of that dream...He swallowed hard, standing by the door, that same scent that permeated the bar during dinner lingering here. "I...I can sleep in the other room, if it'd make you more comfortable." A frown was on his face as he said it. Tifa inhaled and shook her head, covering herself up to her chin in the quilt that laid over their bed.

He hesitated, then slowly made his way towards the bed, settling onto the mattress next to Tifa, the woman scooting a little toward her edge of the bed. Cloud turned his lamp off, then rested on his back, blinking as the butterflies in his stomach fluttered. The awkward silence bothering him, he sighed quietly. He still looked towards the ceiling as he spoke, his voice somber, hands folded on his abdomen.

"I'm sorry, Tifa." He paused. "...I should have told you as soon as I feared it was true, but...I guess I'm a coward." Cloud felt Tifa shift in bed, and out of the corner of his eye he could see her looking at him. He slowly brought his glowing eyes to meet hers, her face unreadable.

"You're afraid of someone who's been with you through everything?" Tifa asked. The irony of her words hit her immediately, and she was unsure if she was addressing herself as well.

Cloud shook his head. "No. I'm afraid I'll finally do something, or get into some sort of trouble that makes you give up on me." He whispered. He shifted to his side, body facing her, his face guilty. Why she hadn't yet still confused him to this day, after everything he'd done; he was still recovering mentally from the horrible things done to him, and the terrible things he felt responsibility for. He knew Tifa had a similar mindset, blaming herself for the Sector Seven plate collapse as much as he blamed himself, but she wasn't the one who lead people on a journey with a subconscious, ulterior motive.

Tifa's eyes glistened with moisture at his words. "No, Cloud...I wouldn't do that...This isn't your fault, anyway. We'll figure something out together..." She blinked, a tear coming loose from her watery eye.

Cloud instinctively put a hand to her face, and she flinched, inhaling sharply as his calloused hand gently contacted her cheek. Tifa didn't recoil, but let him wipe away the tear from her cheek. "Tifa...Thank you. For everything. I still don't know what you see in a broken person like me." He took his hand away, not wanting her to fear his touch any longer, his face a mix of sadness and guilt. She brought herself to touch his cheek tentatively, the smooth skin a familiar comfort to her. Other emotions overtook her fear, and she pushed her face into his chest, his hand wrapping around her back softly.

She heard a sniffle above her, and she squeezed tighter. "We're both broken, Cloud..."

Cloud didn't say anything back, he just stroked her hair and took in her scent. His chest quivered against his lover's head and a soft smile formed on his face as they both fell asleep in each other's arms, unanimously, silently, deciding to deal with today's revelations tomorrow.

* * *

 _ **Tifa distantly followed Cloud as he disappeared into the heavy foliage of an old forest that reminded her of the woods that surrounded their hometown of Nibelheim. She heard the crunch from his heavy footfalls in the darkness, but could not seem to find him no matter how far into the thick woods she went. Hopelessly lost Tifa turned her head this way and that, wondering where Cloud could have gone; in the distance she heard a pained, shouted groan, followed by snarls. The woman's eyes went wide, and she shivered at the horrible noises. Was he alright? No...he was something else now.  
**_

 _ **She swiftly walked deeper into the forest, hoping to get a good start on the hunting beast that would be somewhere behind her. All those times in Nibelheim where children teased about werewolves had become a living nightmare, breathing down the back of her neck as Tifa searched for some place she could take refuge in until the cursed night was over. It was hard to navigate the dark forest, the pugilist almost tripping on a branch or stone here or there, but she blindly continued on in the moonlight speckled woods.**_ _ **  
**_

 _ **There was the sound of crunching leaves and panting coming from the darkness surrounding Tifa. She looked about, wondering which way would lead her out of this maze of a forest. The woman crunched through the leaf litter as she reached a clearing glowing with moonlight, the wildflowers and grasses almost shimmering blue and silver. It was beautiful, but Tifa didn't have time to soak in the sights; a chill was running down her spine as her senses screamed at her to run. She looked about, then heard a branch snap behind her. Looking, a pair of feral, glowing blue eyes watched from the underbrush, sharp teeth glistening in the inky darkness as if shadows had faces. Tifa knew who that was, and she gasped in terror.**_

 _ **"Cloud..."**_

 _ **He growled, and she ran as fast as she could through the clearing. Tifa could hear him behind her, the man she loved dearly some mindless killing machine intent on eating her, his excited pants hot on her trail. She had to run, had to hide. Cloud gained on her quickly, and she turned about to lay a desperate roundhouse kick to the monster. Connecting to his shadowy face, she paused just a moment before running again, anywhere away from him. Tifa heard an angry snarl behind her, and she ran faster back into the woods as she attempted to lose him through the large trees and small bushes. The woman thought perhaps she had lost him, that she might have a chance to hide until morning, but her hopes were dashed a moment later as a large furry body slammed into her torso, knocking her down into the underbrush. Tifa looked up, the wind knocked out of her, the werewolf staring at her hungrily and pinning her arms down. She struggled, but he pressed down on her to keep her in place, as if she'd been enough trouble as it is, and she moaned as his claws pressed into her tender shoulders.  
**_

 _ **"Cloud, please..." She pleaded.  
**_

 _ **The beast seemed to pause a moment before quickly opening its jaws and biting down on her throat. She didn't have time to scream.**_


	6. Drunks and Ninjas

The next morning Tifa awoke with a start to an empty bed, Cloud having already left by dawn; she sighed as she rubbed her face. Did yesterday really happen? Looking down at the blankets Tifa supposed it wasn't just some dream. She yawned, her sleep having been interrupted by nightmares of Cloud chasing her down, and she shuddered as she remembered them, tucking her knees to her face. _'How could this be? What will we do...'_ But he was so warm last night...Reality has a way of crashing down the day after something important occurs, she thought.

Her mind dredged up memories of the other night when he hadn't told her, and again anger spiked in her chest. Why couldn't Cloud just say something and not try to weather his problems alone? Why did he do _that_ without telling her he was a werewolf, why did the children find out first? Tifa regretted not breaking his jaw last night. It wasn't as if he wouldn't recover from it quickly, anyway. _'He'd deserve it for that...'_

Little footsteps interrupted her woeful thoughts. "Tifa! Are you alright?" It was Marlene, the girl coming to sit on the bed next to Tifa. The woman looked down at the girl and placed an arm around her, bringing her close. Marlene frowned up at her, worried about the look on Tifa's face. "Are you still upset?"

She nodded at the little girl, rubbing the child's back. "It's challenging." She looked towards the clock, then towards Marlene. Tifa knew she had to distract herself. "I need to make you guys some breakfast before you go to school. You and Denzel should get yourselves ready!" The little girl nodded as she scooted off the bed and then down towards the fall, Tifa sighing as she slid off her side of the bed and out of her room, glancing into the children's room as they prepared for their day. She made her way down the stairs and into the galley, and began fishing out items for breakfast, keeping her mind off her troubles. Tifa poured juice for them, than began to cook.

"G'morning, Tifa," Denzel said sleepily as he came down the steps, and towards their usual table with a glass of juice in his hands. he sipped his small glass of juice, watching his caretaker finish cooking. Marlene appeared next, grasping her drink and sitting across from the boy. She looked over at him, Denzel having a concerned look on his face as he watched the silent woman cook with a vacant expression on her face. "She's still upset, isn't she?" He inquired with a whisper.

Marlene looked towards Tifa for a moment, then back at Denzel. "Yeah. But she said they'd figure it out like they always do." Neither seemed certain, however; they'd never seen Tifa quite like this.

Tifa came up to them shortly after, holding plates with usual fare: eggs, toast, and some fruit. She sat next to Marlene, staring into her plate as the children ate with worried looks on their faces. They could only tell that something was wrong, not whatever she thought; Tifa's mind flashed between her fears and nightmares and her embrace with Cloud and all the times before this new revelation came about. Fear and love warred in her heart, despite never seeing him like one of those things.

Soon the children had left for school, and Tifa worked on her morning chores before she would open up for lunch hour, after dressing herself. At that point in her day, she was unsure if she really wanted to open up the bar today; she was too wary to put on a smile. Tifa sighed, fixing up the bed as a breeze came in through an open window. She turned her head towards the clock; it was 11:30. She still had time to decide; it would get her mind off the situation at least, but she didn't really feel like making small talk with customers today.

A sound snapped her out of her thoughts, of the front door unlocking and opening up and heavy footfalls. Tifa listened a moment after the door shut; it sounded like Cloud's footsteps, remembering them from the nights he would come home extremely late from deliveries. Had he not gone to work this morning? Why? She hesitated, then made her way towards the stairs as the footsteps came closer.

Tifa bumped into Cloud as he made it up the final step, letting out a little squeak as he caught her in one of his arms. Her red eyes were wide and fearful, the spiky haired warrior frowning at her expression with worried cerulean eyes. "It's just me, Teef..."

"I...I know..." Tifa noticed some hurt growing in his eyes as she looked him over, his warm arm still wrapped around her back. "I'm just surprised you didn't go to work today..."

He looked away, blush on his face as he softly let Tifa go. "Of course not. Not today."

She blinked. "...Not today?" Did he want a day to themselves?

Cloud looked back, concerned. "...I thought I was the one that was supposed to forget these kinds of things. I guess it can't be helped..."

Tifa stared at him. _'These kinds of things?'_ "Um..."

He slowly held his hand out, silently pleading with her to take it. After a few moments she nervously took it, and he softly tugged her downstairs, to the bar. She wondered what he was up to, what he planned to do. That's not how Cloud is...

She took a final step down, and slowly peeked behind Cloud's black clad back. She let out a gasp, putting her hands to her face as she looked at the counter. There was a little black box, a vase of familiar flowers, and a pink box with the name of a well known baker on the side. "Happy birthday, Tifa."

"Cloud..." She looked back at him tearfully, a little smile on his face. He walked over and picked up the little black box, handing it to her. Tifa opened it up, letting out a little gasp as the new pearl earrings came into view, a slight rose hue to the pearls that dangled delicately from the studs, also of pearl and a white, gleaming metal, probably white gold.

"Those are your favorite, right?" He asked searchingly, hoping he was correct on her favorite precious stone. She nodded as she smiled, trying them on and looking them over with a small mirror she had tucked away on the wall.

"They're beautiful. Thank you, Cloud!" Tifa paused a moment, then gave him a hug that he returned happily. She looked up at him, his face wearing a smile; his eyes still searched hers as if he were still unsure about last night, just like she was. Tifa placed her head down on his cool chest, thinking. "You remembered my birthday, even when I forgot it..."

"...You've got a lot on your mind." He sighed back, looking down at her. "...Sorry."

Tifa shook her head. "We'll get through this. We always do!" She squeezed him, feeling the fabric and muscles and smooth skin. This could possibly change into something terrible? Maybe.

Cloud moved some stray hairs from her face. "Wanna go to lunch with me?"

 _'A date?'_ Tifa looked up at him and smiled. "...I'd like that a lot."

* * *

Cloud took her out to a popular restaurant they had visited in the past, and the couple sat at a table situated on the back porch of the establishment. A red table cloth and a small vase of spring flowers decorated the table they took a seat at. Cloud looked at Tifa expectantly after they ordered their drinks, his fingers laying on the menu. He already knew what he was going to get, it wasn't as if he had many food options anymore. He could tell by her scent and the look in her eye when she glanced at him that she still had some firm words for him, even if she wasn't as skittish as she had been before he surprised her this morning.

Surprises didn't mean safe from lectures. He knew that well enough.

There was a silence after the waiter took their orders, and Tifa sipped on her drink, looking at the table. Cloud watched her from time to time, feeling the tension between them as something dwelled on her mind. Was it because the kids found out first? Was it because he didn't immediately come to her with his worries? Or maybe it was because of her phobia? Cloud looked away, his face feeling a little flush. He did a million different things wrong, which one was she thinking about? Which one upset her the most?

"About the other night..." she mumbled.

He snapped his head back to her, eyes wide. "Huh? W-what night?" Oh Gaia, which night? He sniffed the air silently, Tifa smelled a little angry. Not 'I'm going to sock you in the gut' angry, fortunately, but enough to set the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.

"You know which night, Cloud." she said lowly.

Cloud looked down at the tablecloth, searching for answers. He didn't know what night she wanted to discuss. "Uh..."

"When we..." She turned her head away.

His face paled, and he looked up at her as she brought her eyes back to study him. "Oh." He swallowed hard and tapped his fingers on the table. "I wasn't trying to be sneaky, Teef."

Tifa shook her head. "You were still devious. You kept lying about it, too."

Cloud held a crestfallen expression. "I know. I was terrified, Teef. I didn't want anyone to know, I just wanted to keep it secret so it wouldn't ruin what we have going. But the kids knew and..." He let out a long sigh. "It was kinda hard getting the words out. And I wasn't trying to...to use you or anything. I just wanted us to have one last night where everything was normal." He felt like an ass as it went through his head. His intentions weren't cruel of course, but of course now he had time to really think that it might not have been the best idea to have sex with her before revealing that he might be a werewolf now. His cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"Still...I was worried you could've infected me." She had fretted over that possibility, and it upset her that he could have risked that for a little fun in bed.

He shook his head. "It doesn't work like that."

"It doesn't?"

"No, not like this, I checked multiple books and Denzel's manual. I'm not infectious at all right now." He put a hand over hers, and to his relief she didn't slip it away. "I wouldn't risk any of you getting infected because of me." he said quietly.

Tifa nodded, then sipped on her drink. She felt relief that he did research on the malady he was now stuck with. Still, she felt taken advantage of. "I guess I just need some time to...soak this in." she said firmly.

Cloud nodded, resigned. "Sorry, Tifa. I'll give you some space." He supposed that was what he got for not telling her something extremely important before having his way with her, and he bit his lip as he thought about his screw up. _'What seems like a good idea one moment can certainly turn out to not be the case...'_ he lamented in his mind. Letting out a huff he studied Tifa. She seemed a little more relaxed after getting that off her chest, and he found it relieving.

Their food came a minute afterwards and they tucked in. Tifa had ordered a crab pasta plate, and Cloud was cutting into a rare steak. Tifa watched him take a bite of the bloody meat, in the past he had eaten his steaks medium with steak sauce. As she twirled the noodles on her fork and took a bite she remembered that one morning with the oatmeal and how disgusted he looked forcing it down his throat, and how he never requested toast or pancakes anymore. She swallowed her mouthful. "Does food really taste different to you now?" Tifa was curious now.

He looked up from his steak and nodded. "Yeah. Meat tastes a lot better than it used to, but everything else is either dull or gross or way too sweet." Cloud looked down again. "I wish I could enjoy your pancakes without nearly gagging on them. I always liked them on the weekends." He mumbled the last part before biting into another piece of steak.

Tifa found that sad. He couldn't enjoy what he used to because a stupid werewolf scratched him as he tried to return home. She wasn't about to waffle over the sex subject but she also wasn't about to not help him with his problems just because she was fearful of what he could be on a Full Moon. No, this was Cloud right now, and not that thing that chased her in her nightmare. And Cloud was trying to cope with it and not rock the boat too much. _'He's predictable, that's for sure.'_

"Does it come with any perks?" she asked after taking another bite of pasta. "Or is it all bad?"

He hummed as he finished chewing. "My sense of smell improved. My hearing somehow got better, too." Tifa giggled, and he cracked a grin. "I guess that's not a lot to show for it." He knew werewolves could heal faster too, but he already healed fast; it would be redundant. "I'm still trying to figure everything out, Teef. Other than that it's mostly the same..." Cloud cleared his throat and started to cut into his steak again. "Anyway, what about you? I know the bar is getting a lot of business."

Tifa smiled and began to talk about the bar and the goings on while he was out delivering packages. Just for a little while it was as if werewolves didn't exist anymore, and she didn't recoil at the kiss on the cheek he gave her after they left the restaurant for her favorite ice cream parlor. _'We can weather this together. Just one day at a time.'_

* * *

Despite the lovely birthday, it still had taken about a week for Tifa to fully acclimate to the revelation forced out of Cloud, the woman occasionally squeaking when he turned up behind her to ask a question or nervously watching him with the kids, her lover simply frowning at her for the acts. It wasn't that she didn't trust Cloud, she really did, but her fear had never been confronted; just like everyone else she assumed werewolves were just something to watch in movies and scare children. Sure, she could have reasoned it was all a big joke since she hadn't seen anything much to confirm it except for his sincere reactions to telling her and his changed food likes and dislikes, putting it to the far reaches of her mind, but one day Cloud showed her the effects of silver on his skin just so she knew what to use in case something bad happened.

"Wolf or not, silver hurts like hell." he had said, raising from the side of their bed.

"Really, silver? Just like in the movies?" She looked skeptical, standing by the dresser.

He nodded and motioned towards her little jewelry box. "Go ahead, take out something made of silver." Tifa did as he asked, and as she turned around he had lifted his arm warily. "Touch my skin with it..." He swallowed and braced himself.

She looked at his arm, the pale skin over powerful, lean muscles, and held her one hand to its side, feeling it's warmth. The other dangled the same silver bracelet that stung him two weeks ago, unbeknownst to her. Tifa slowly lowered the bangle, landing it suddenly on his skin. A hiss emanated from the contact and Cloud winced and grunted, causing Tifa to whip the bracelet away. He instinctively tore his arm back, rubbing with his other hand. "C..Cloud?"

He slowly showed her the burn mark from the prolonged exposure, the skin browned as if burned, her eyes round at the sight. "It'll heal, Teef."

* * *

As Tifa wiped the counter of the bar, another customer came in, one she recognized. Cloud was sitting at the bar, having one of his rare drinks; he was never much for drinking, though he'd imbibe on certain anniversaries or out of the blue. He noticed the man too, his eyes narrowing as the customer sauntered over to a seat at the bar, sitting at a chair where he could get a good look at Tifa, obviously.

The bartender walked over, giving a sweet smile to her new guest. He had come in the day before, trying to get a date out of her, and it seemed he wasn't going to take "no" for an answer just yet. Cloud had been on delivery that day, not knowing the newcomer. She leaned on the counter, greeting him. "What can I get for you today?"

The man grinned in a lopsided way, obviously having bar hopped. "...How about sex with the bartender?" He said boldly, his brows bobbing up and down. His sweaty brown hair covered his green eyes and he drummed his fingers upon the hard surface of the bar.

Tifa raised a brow and pushed off the counter, turning towards the booze. "Sure thing!" She felt Cloud's eyes burning into the back of her head, and she looked back at him and winked, used to his particular territorial possessiveness. The simmering anger turned to confusion in his eyes as he watched her deftly mix a drink, his head propped up by his hand, a finger below his nose. She smiled slyly at him again, turned and presented the drink to the tipsy patron. "Sex with the bartender!" Cloud let out a little snort.

The man scoffed, but drank the mixed drink anyway, expecting a different offer. "I mean, it's pretty good, but not as good as you look, little lady." He said, swaying a little in his seat with a wink.

Tifa jumped as she heard a low growl from the other side of the bar, turning her head to look at Cloud. The warrior was staring daggers into the challenger, his shoulders tense and teeth clenched. "Hey, Cloud..." He snapped his focus away from the other male and towards Tifa, and she kept to the back of the bar, obviously afraid. His eyes immediately softened, brows knitted in a concerned frown. She sighed, walking over to him. "Everything's okay."

Cloud grunted in response, and finishing his drink, he made his way into the back of the bar, hearing the drunkard's query to Tifa as he climbed the stairs.

"Is that like, your brother or something?" The man said with a low, hesitant voice.

"Or something!" She chimed happily.

* * *

He felt something was wrong with him; the burning in his chest stubbornly clinging to him. He went into the bathroom to take a look, flipping on the light. His face looked mostly normal, his eyes holding some feral glint...He gave his ear a pat, it was showing signs of changing. He had felt it tingle downstairs, along with his...He parted his lips, his canines had pushed out slightly, and his back molars were coming to points. "Okay...calm down. Calm down..." He took deep breaths, looking from one side of the bathroom to the other.

He splashed cold water on his face, apprehension overtaking his jealousy and anger at the drunk patron. The whiskey hadn't helped the situation at all, loosening up emotional inhibitions. He looked back up, not sure if the cool water had made a difference, his eyes staring at the stubborn fangs slowly growing in his mouth. What to do? Cloud heard a knock on the door, Tifa's muffled voice asking if she could come in. "Y-yeah..."

Her head popped into view, a concerned look in her eyes as she bit her lip. "Cloud, are you okay?" Her eyes went to his half open mouth, his canines glistening in the artificial light. Tifa let out a little gasp, her eyes widening, and Cloud couldn't help but feel bad.

"It's okay, Teef. I think I'll ride this out in the wastes tonight, just in case." He looked down apologetically, then back up towards her fearful eyes.

"But it's not even a Full Moon..." she whispered.

"I know. But...That feeling is really burning in me. I gotta leave, I'll be back in the morning. I promise." He stood there unmoving, waiting for Tifa to leave first. She lingered a moment, and then disappeared from the door.

* * *

Zooming off to his new hiding spot miles upon miles out in the Midgar Wastes, Cloud searched for the cavern, pushing his bike into the entrance when he finally found it again. It had taken him nearly twenty minutes to get to this spot, and he had choked down the urge to change several times during his speedy journey through sheer willpower. Growling from the heat building up in his body, he quickly took his clothing off, finally removing his boxers, wanting to preserve them this time. He removed another clothing article he had retrieved from the hamper before he left; one of Tifa's nightshirts from a compartment in Fenrir, just in case he needed a scented reminder.

He panted outside the cave naked while tucking his knees towards his chest, the twilight growing ever darker. Cloud could feel it coming again, and as much as he dreaded it he wanted it to hurry up and claim him finally, he wouldn't fight it now. The familiar feeling of his fingers swelling started, little pops as the digits rearranged and twisted and sharp claws pushing through the softened flesh of his fingers. He fell to his side, seizing up as he let out sharp little groans. His abdomen cramped hard, and his head felt like it was in a vice as it warped into it's new shape and sharp teeth formed in his maw. He let out a pained moan that turned into growls and whimpers as he grew and reshaped, willing himself to not blackout despite the crippling pain.

The final crunch of his spine caused him to roar from the pain, though not nearly as bad as the first time. Breathing heavily he slowly recovered, staring at the ground for a minute to get his bearings. He looked around, unsure if he was actually lucid. He brought a clawed hand to his face, shaking his large head. No, he was aware. Was it the experiments done to him, or his battles over Sephiroth that had been the reason for his new found will? He still couldn't think quite like he did as a person, but everything else seemed to be intact.

 ** _'...What to do now?'_** He couldn't go back home like this, and he didn't know how long he would be stuck like this, either. Maybe he could explore the area a little, he thought it best to keep preoccupied and give the animal instincts something to do that didn't involve slaughtering humans. Taking one last look at the cave and making certain the entrance was covered, he made his way to scout the area, the air filled with dull, dusty scents.

Traveling away from the cave, he ventured towards the green line that broke the wastes, a place he was very familiar with in his delivery travels. Sniffing the air, the scents were of distant grass and dry earth..And some ungulate animal. Cloud felt a twinge of that monstrous instinct, pulling him to hunt it. His mouth drooled in anticipation. Maybe, he could stay in control and sate this beast's desires, too.

Stalking on all fours, he crawled towards the scent. Cloud's monochrome sight as he hid behind a rock outcropping observed some lean gazelle that had strayed to the edges of the waste, gnawing on some stray grass. He stilled his breath, waiting for it to get closer. The little beast was oblivious to the werewolf, moving closer and closer. Tensing, Cloud lunged, the little gazelle leaping away but not without a nasty gash torn through the back leg. The chase was on, and it felt good.

* * *

"Stupid piece of crap car!" Yuffie messaged Cloud again, wondering when the spiky pain in the ass would finally answer her demand for him to pick her up from the wastes. Her rented vehicle was abandoned on the side of the road, roughly a mile away, and she wasn't going to walk all the way to Edge if she could help it. Or maybe she would, if someone didn't pick her up. The scrappy ninja made her way deeper into the Midgar Wastes, oblivious to any danger she could possibly be in, her emotional state making her unreasonable and noisy.

She jumped up and down, moaning. "Damn it, Spike, answer your damn phone! Gawd!" Yuffie thought to text Tifa next, in case she would have more luck getting a hold of Cloud. Pressing the send button, she stood a moment in the darkness, unsure where to rest from her travels for a little bit. Making her way towards a large rock, Yuffie sat a top a smaller stone next to it and leaned, waiting for a response from either person. A muffled cry, growls and heavy steps nearby drew her out of her phone, the ninja peeking over the side of the rock. Her eyes adjusted to the twilight, noticing a large shape about fifteen feet from her position, hunched over something small and limp. She peered harder into the low light, the creature taking a firmer form, its back to her and tearing into what she assumed was its prey.

Yuffie let out a gasp of air as she felt her phone buzz against her leg, turning away from the creature. Whatever it was, it seemed to have caught a meal and it fortunately wasn't her. Opening the phone, there was a message from Tifa:

 **Cloud is out of town for the night. What are you doing in the Wastes? They aren't safe! Get back to your car.**

"Yes, mom," Yuffie grumbled. She sighed, arms crossed. She wasn't really sure what to do next. Yuffie reasoned she could go back to her car, or she could try to make it into Edge, the city still far off. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to leave the car like that. After all, the only company she had out here was some giant fuzzball noshing on an animal behind her...Her eyes widened, there was silence behind her. Had the creature left? She slowly looked behind the rock, her eyes peeking here and there until she focused on something big in front of her.

The creature was staring right at her, five feet away, The eyes a softly glowing blue. The muzzle was a little short and the jaw was open in a pant, the face dark and hairless with terrible sharp teeth. The fur was light colored from what she could register while shooting a light flash from her phone into its face before charging towards her car, a confused roar echoing into the environment behind her. She didn't hear it give chase, but she wasn't going to stop to give it a chance.

* * *

 _ **"Raaaaagh!"**_ Cloud immediately covered his eyes with an arm, the agony of the bright light burning his eyes and blinding him momentarily. He had been in the middle of consuming his kill when he noticed sounds from behind him, buzzing and a very familiar voice. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, hoping to peek on the other side of the rock without startling the noisy person on the other side. She peeked first and he froze, face to face with a surprised Yuffie Kisaragi...

Who just moments ago blinded him with a phone flash. Cloud shook his head, turning the corner of the rock and watching her run as fast as her legs could carry her as his vision returned. Something inside of him wanted to give chase, Cloud quickly stamping it down. _**'Friend...Pack member!'**_ The mantra seemed to take hold, her scent being tied to that word, that feeling...Pack. He sighed heavily, wandering towards the cave instead of possibly causing more trouble for Yuffie than he already had. He took a few steps towards his destination, but when a scream from her direction made him snap around, he began charging towards the little ninja.

The young woman had indeed made it to her vehicle, but a lizard-like monster was trying to drag her out by her foot, her escape not quite fast enough. Yuffie gave the creature a swift kick in the neck, knocking it back and giving her a chance to shut and lock the door. The monster continued to slam into the door, attempting to force it open to get its fleshy prize. Cloud charged behind the creature, raising onto his hind feet and letting out a loud roar, and swiping it with a clawed hand. The monster squealed as the over seven foot tall werewolf savaged it, finally hitting a jugular and letting it expire after a small fight.

Crouching, he looked into the cabin of the car, noticing Yuffie's terrified expression and listening to a string of words he couldn't make out, besides "Ohmigawd". Cloud snorted at the little ninja, his breath steaming the glass of the door and getting a scream out of his friend. Bringing himself to all fours again, he began to trot back to the cave. Hopefully his Yuffie would stay out of trouble for the rest of the night. He could still hear her muffled shouts as he wandered off, just wanting to rest after an exciting night. He'd pick up Yuffie in the morning.

* * *

Cloud moaned softly, dawn's astral glow beginning to warm the wastes he had roamed the night before. He felt strangely serene, theorizing it might have been from releasing those pent up instincts that hadn't been expressed during his first transformation. He licked his lips, the coppery taste of blood from the hunt and skirmish still on them. He got up, shivering, and rustled around Fenrir for his canteen, rinsing his mouth and washing his face. It wasn't that he minded the taste anymore, but he figured he should be half presentable to Yuffie when he came to her rescue for a second time.

Donning his clothing, he picked up Tifa's night shirt, the article of clothing having been his pillow during the night. Folding it, he put it back into the compartment, hoping Tifa wouldn't mind his use of her clothing. Pushing his bike out of the small cave, he took his phone out, several messages from Yuffie and one from Tifa. The ones from Yuffie were demands from her to pick her up, the last one being a plea to get her from her car. Tifa's was sent sometime last night, praying he hadn't killed Yuffie last night. Cloud sighed, sending replies to both women; he'd be there soon, and that no, he hadn't killed Yuffie. Replacing the phone into his back pocket, he started Fenrir up.

Twenty minutes later he had a tired and scared ninja clinging to his back on his bike, the irony not lost on him. He had held onto one of her hands as he drove off, the girl terrified to the point of giving Cloud a rib crushing hug at his early morning appearance. They drove silently, the night before having taking the spunk out of the girl for now. He approached his home as usual, Yuffie holding his hand as Cloud navigated the garage, entering the bar.

Tifa's eyes lifted up tiredly to Cloud's face, brightening as Yuffie came into view, unharmed but for a slight limp from an ankle injury. Yuffie made her way to Tifa, giving her a huge hug, mumbling thanks to Cloud for picking her up, even if he was a little late. She smiled up at him, and he returned the gesture. Tifa ushered her upstairs, letting the young woman get a hot shower before breakfast. As Yuffie disappeared up the steps, Tifa turned to Cloud nervously, the man sitting at the bar with his chin propped up by his hand, a coffee mug by his hand. He appeared to be thinking, but slowly looked over at Tifa as she walked towards him, her phone in her hands.

"I...guess you had a busy night, huh?" Tifa mumbled.

Cloud sighed. "You could say that." He thought back to last night, the images fresh in his mind.

"You almost killed her you know," Tifa's voice a whisper.

Cloud scoffed, looking her in the eyes with a frown. "No, I didn't. I had to rescue her from some stupid monster."

Now it was Tifa's turn to frown. "She sent me a picture, said the flash blinded the...creature that was watching her."

Cloud swallowed heavily and looked away. "I wasn't trying to hurt her, I swear. I didn't even know it was her until she popped her dumb face out at me." His cheeks turned red, remembering the look on Yuffie's face as she realized what she was staring at in the dark.

Tifa blinked, tapping the counter with her fingers. "You remember all of this? Were you...you?"

He nodded, looking back at her. "Yeah. Yuffie wasn't endangered by me last night." Not much, anyway.

"Certainly scared her enough..." She looked at her phone, staring at some image. Cloud was unsure if he wanted to see, turning his head away again. "I guess you...kinda look dorky, the longer I look. Your eyes are almost crossed..." The sides of her mouth twitched as she said it. "When she sent the picture last night, it...Well, it scared me. A lot. But, looking at it so much..."

He looked down incredulously, Tifa moving the phone so he could get a better look. His blue eyes actually did almost look cross eyed, caught by surprise from the flash. Cloud studied his face, the muzzle a dusky, dark blond hide and his fur as blonde as his normal hair, and just as spiky. The teeth were large pointed needles, white and sharp, and his tongue a bright pink. His ears had slicked back in surprise. Studying the picture was more than the small monochrome flash he saw the first time, before blacking out.

Cloud sighed. "No wonder she flipped out when I came to her rescue." He put his head down, flanked by his folded arms on the cool surface. He felt Tifa's fingers run through his hair, the woman softly humming and the sensation on his scalp soothing. He lifted his head slowly, looking into her eyes. She put her hands on both of Cloud's cheeks, smiling softly.

"What will we ever do with you, our little Cloudy Wolf?"


	7. Kidnapped Princess

"Clooooud!" A loud, annoying voice pierced the peace of the rooms above the noisy bar, Yuffie stomping towards her friend's office. She invited herself in, the man looking back at her with a frustrated look. Yuffie huffed as she shut the door, and sat on the bed next to his desk, kicking her feet in the air.

"What do you want? I'm tryin' to get my routes ready for tomorrow, ya know." Cloud rustled one of his maps, circling an area off the road from Kalm.

The ninja looked up at him. "I didn't like, thank you properly for picking me up this morning." Her face was solemn. "Last night sucked so bad! I'm lucky I'm not dead!"

Cloud snorted. "I thought the 'White Rose of Wutai' could handle herself?" He looked over at her, a wry smile on his face. He enjoyed picking on her sometimes, treating her as if she were a younger sibling he had to tease and protect. Maybe she really was, in her own way.

Yuffie gave an indignant look, crossing her arms. "My shuriken's in the shop, Gawd! I coulda taken on both of those stupid monsters if it wasn't..."

She noticed he looked slightly uncomfortable, reasoning that perhaps he was feeling guilty about not being in the area when she was in trouble. Cloud opened his mouth to speak. "You also told Tifa that first one killed the other monster that was attacking your car." His face betrayed nervousness.

She nodded, thinking back. "Yeah, it was really freaky. Tore that little guy to shreds, then it just...stared at me." She put a hand to her back pocket to retrieve her phone, flipping to the picture she had taken. "What a weird monster. First it stalks me, then it wrecks another monster and just...stares at me! Then it walked away like nothing happened!" Yuffie looked down at the fearsome face looking back up at her, then back at Cloud, squinting. "Kinda looks like you, if you were a wolf or something."

Cloud groaned, looking at the picture on her phone and then back to her. "Seriously?" He had a light blush on his cheeks, his brows together.

"Yeah, even had the freaky glowing eyes. Maybe it's one of professor Hojo's old experiments or something." She put her phone back, looking at Cloud with a shrug.

"Could be." That wasn't actually an incorrect assumption...

"Say, I forgot to ask, but how did you know where I was this morning?" She gave him a piercing look.

Cloud tapped his pen on his desk, cheeks still pink. "There's only one highway into Edge...It'd only be a matter of time until I found you, right?" The road to Kalm and the Chocobo Farm were trafficked, but not to the extent the highway between Fort Condor, Junon and Edge were.

"I guess. Tifa said you were outta town for the night. You need to learn to take a day off from the deliveries! Couldn't have been too far, though, or you wouldn't have showed up so quickly..."

Cloud let out a sigh as he returned to his maps. "Junon. Had to go to Junon."

Yuffie raised a brow, smirking. "Too bad I didn't see you on the road, I was coming from there, too."

"Guess the world isn't so small after all." He scanned his maps, ignoring her stare. A moment later, he felt a weight on his shoulders, and arms wrapping around his neck.

"Thank you, Cloud. For being there for me." Her voice was calm and soft in his ear, with a maturity he'd only heard from her a handful of times in the past.

Cloud lifted a hand to one of her arms, squeezing it in response. "It was nothing, Yuffie." He patted her arm, the ninja lifting herself up from her crouched hug.

"Hm. Well, I better go help Tifa in the bar! It sounds busy. Don't worry, I didn't give the kids too much candy!" She quickly made her escape, hearing Cloud angrily query out to her.

"You gave them sugar before bedtime?!"

* * *

Sighing, Cloud tapped his pen on his map, his anxiety lessening as the ninja departed, though he would soon have to deal with two children that may have been given too much candy. Yuffie almost seemed to be grilling him, the delivery boy taking it as her being her nosy self as usual. Her heartfelt thanks was different than usual, however. Was she that scared last night? Was it him, or the other monster? Maybe it was both...He shrugged the thought off. It is what it is.

Cloud made his way to the children's room after he finished his routes on the maps, dreading what could possibly await him. The last time Yuffie had come over to visit, the children overdosed on Wutai sweets and were almost literally crawling the walls from hyperactivity. He entered, the sound of giggles coming from Marlene's bed, the children covered in blankets, hiding. Cloud slowly approached the bed, hushed giggles emanating as his foot pressed against a creaking floorboard.

"Shhh! There's a big bad wolf out there." Marlene whispered.

"He can't get us under here," Denzel responded.

Cloud stepped closer, getting into their little game with a small smile. He let out a fake growl, the children quieting, one of their heads looking around subtly. He put his arms up, then quickly brought them down onto the children's sides, tickling them through the blanket. They squealed in delight, ripping the covers off, begging Cloud to relent. He tickled them a few moments more, finally letting them recover with a small laugh of his own.

"Cloud!" Denzel grabbed his guardian's wrist with both hands, still giggling. Marlene sat up, smiling, stifling her giggles. Cloud sat on the edge of the bed, letting the children wind down.

"Aunt Yuffie said you saved her this morning." Marlene said, Cloud giving her a quizzical look.

"She told you two?"

"Yeah. Said she thought she was gonna get eatin' by a big bad wolf!" Denzel stifled a giggle, the sugar obviously churning through his body. "You looked pretty cool."

He frowned, embarrassed by Yuffie's act. "She showed you two that picture?"

"Yeah!"

He shook his head as the children bounced a little in place, happily hanging on to their favorite person at the moment. Cloud sighed. "I told Tifa I wasn't gonna hurt Yuffie..." Marlene bounced on the bed, holding his shoulder.

"We know you wouldn't hurt Aunt Yuffie! You're the good guy, remember?" She gave him a big smile.

"Yeah, Cloud, you're gonna go out and beat up bad guys!" Denzel said, scooting to Cloud's side.

"...I think you two have had too many sweets." Cloud said flatly. He gave a lopsided grin at their thoughts towards him, despite their sugar high.

"Just a couple!" They said in unison. Cloud shook his head again.

"It's time to go to bed, guys. Go brush your teeth." He lifted himself from the bed, his hands out to give them leverage to move off the bed. They stomped their feet as they charged towards the bathroom, squeezing through the bedroom door at the same time. Cloud sighed, making his way out of their room and towards the stairs, heading for the bar.

* * *

The bar was slowly emptying of customers, Yuffie either slinging drinks for the final call or telling drunk patrons that they'd had too much to drink and had to go. Tifa was behind the bar, cleaning the last of the glasses as they came back to her, busily drying a wine glass as Cloud made the final steps down the stairs.

He walked behind her, pressing against her back slightly, his arms to either side of the sink. Tifa jumped slightly, looking back just enough to see Cloud's spikes as they tickled her nose. She hummed a greeting, Cloud lowering his head down to her ear, his breath hot on the side of her face. A chill went down her spine, unsure why he was so close with Yuffie nearby.

"She fed them sweets before bed again," he whispered into her ear. He heard Tifa gasp then grumble.

"They aren't too out of control, are they?" She worked on another glass, scrubbing a particularly dirty spot.

"Not as bad as last time, I don't think. Got'em to go brush their teeth." Cloud lifted himself up from Tifa, heading to the fridge for a water bottle. He looked up towards the bar entrance, the last of the patrons leaving with a wave of Yuffie's hand. Taking a sip of the cool water, he watched as she locked the door and came to rest at the bar counter. _'Next time I'm sniffing her pockets for sweets.'_ he thought to himself.

"The kids doin' alright?" Yuffie innocently asked, Cloud giving a humorless chuckle and Tifa putting her hands on her hips.

"Compared to the last time you tanked them up on sugar, they're doing great," Cloud said. "but could you please keep the candy to a minimum? Or we'll have you deal with it." Yuffie waved her hand dismissively.

"Fine, fine! Anyway, I came to visit you guys for a bit while things cooled between me and Godo." Yuffie was known to not get along with her father at times, and then traveling halfway across the planet to Tifa and Cloud's place to hang out as the most reasonable course of action.

"What, the WRO building not comfortable enough?" Cloud playfully jabbed.

Yuffie sneered at him. "I'd rather hang here than at work before I'm done my leave, thanks." Cloud rolled his eyes.

"How long this time, Yuffie?" Tifa asked.

"Almost a month. I'll help around the place, you know I will!" The ninja was good at keeping her word on assistance in the past, but that wasn't the reason for the looks she got from the pair in front of her, as Tifa shifted from foot to foot, an uncomfortable look on her face. Cloud's face was unreadable to the ninja.

Cloud sighed, the ninja being terribly nosy in the past. Still, he felt obligated to assist his friend; she had in fact given the two a two week vacation in Wutai, telling them to think of it as a honeymoon of sorts despite not being married yet. They both blushed at her words that day, but enjoyed the gift very much. Tifa seemed to be waiting for Cloud's answer.

"...Yeah. Just don't ruin my workplace while using the office bed, or the guest room. Which ever." He looked back at Tifa, giving her a small nod. He owed his friend hospitality, no matter his own circumstances.

"Alright! Like, I promise I'll be good, and I won't steal anything, or give the kids too much candy again..." The couple sighed together, making their way upstairs for some rest. The ninja followed them up, a large smile on her face.

* * *

"Cloud, do you think this is a good idea?" Tifa whispered in his ear as they laid in bed.

"Nope. I'm just not letting my problems get in the way of how things have always been, if I can help it at all." His whisper sounded determined. Tifa let out a sigh, understanding his reasoning.

"I suppose you're right...But, are you going to keep it secret?"

Cloud gently snorted. "I'll try to. I guess that depends on how curious she is, or what she can pry out of the children." He blinked, looking at Tifa. "Kind of surprised they didn't say anything while she was flashing that picture."

Tifa looked upset. "She showed them?!" Cloud put a finger to his mouth, trying to hush her.

"I guess we should have taken her phone before letting her hang out with the kids," he said, a smirk on his face. Tifa rarely got upset, and he found it cute tonight, him not being on the receiving end helping his mood.

"It's not funny...They could get nightmares from that..." Her eyes widened, and she put a hand over her mouth. Cloud frowned, slightly hurt.

"...Do I give you nightmares?"

Tifa flipped onto her back, putting her index fingers together. "Once in a while. I can't help it, Cloud...I'm still working on this, you know." She looked back at him.

Cloud sighed, remembering that while she still got along normally when he was as he usually was, Tifa's fears would immediately surface at any inkling of his wolfish nature. "I understand."

Tifa placed a hand over his, rubbing one of his fingers. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Cloud gave her a kiss on the forehead, silencing Tifa. Best not to instigate. "Don't worry about it. Good night, Tifa."

"...Good night, Cloud."

* * *

The first two and a half weeks Yuffie lived at their place was uneventful, the girl preoccupying the children when they weren't working on school work, or helping in the bar. She left Cloud's work unbothered outside of a handful of delivery calls taken for him, and generally stayed out of trouble for the sake of the couple's sanity. The two thought of buying her a medal for her good behavior.

Tonight, she had decided to go out to find something to bring back to her friend and love interest, Yuri. Wandering through Edge's streets, the ninja suddenly had the feeling she was being watched. Deciding to go back towards Seventh Heaven, she meandered through connecting alleys, somewhat lost.

"Lost, little lady?" came a voice from behind her.

Yuffie turned, several men glowering at her. One of them came forward, brandishing a baton. "Come with us peacefully, or we're taking ya forcefully, princess."

The ninja snorted at the would be kidnappers. "You don't know what you're gettin' yourselves into. Your lives are forfeit to the White Rose of Wutai!" She took a fighting stance, a crazy smile on her face. "Bring it on, schmucks!"

* * *

Cloud felt under control, his wolfish side seemingly dormant as long as nothing stirred it during the time between Full Moons. Still, the next Full Moon was that night. He would have to hide again, out in the cold Midgar Wastes away from his home. Sitting outside the bar with Tifa, he watched the moon as it slowly climbed the firmament, a small heat in his chest warning him that he had about an hour to get to his hiding place if his last two transformations were any measure; not a difficult feat on Fenrir.

Rising up from the step and stretching, he gave his hand to Tifa and assisted her up. The two had been waiting for Yuffie to get back home from the store anxiously, the ninja not having returned yet, and she hadn't answered her phone, either. Cloud frowned, hands on his hips. "How long did she say she was gonna take, anyway?"

Tifa looked down the road. "Yuffie should be back by now..." She tapped her foot, concerned. The stores she said she was visiting would have closed by now.

Something felt wrong. Cloud closed his eyes, focusing on his other senses. He strained his ears, listening for the sound of Yuffie's familiar footsteps, and sniffed the air for familiar scents. The road they were on had very light pedestrian traffic, none of their footfalls familiar.

Very faintly, he picked up the sound of a fight to the north of them, the voices too distant to pick out who it was. Cloud frowned, opening his eyes. Looking at Tifa, he shook his head. "I need to check this out," He said grimly. "Yuffie might be in trouble."

Tifa's eyes widened. "Are you sure I shouldn't handle it? You have to..." She looked down.

"No...You have to be here for the kids. Look, I should have enough time to rescue Yuffie and book it to the cave if I leave right now. I'll be back." He gave her a soft smile as he rubbed her cheek, then hurried off to the source of the sound.

Running off in the direction of the fight, he paused to sniff the air. Yuffie had definitely gone down here at some point, and he trained himself on her trail, his senses keen in the twilight of Edge. The sound of the fight was louder, and her voice could be made out of the cacophony. Cloud made his way towards a side alley, shadows dancing on the grey walls illuminated by yellow artificial lights.

Hiding behind a garbage bin, Cloud watched as Yuffie held off the attackers with her ninja moves and whatever Tifa had taught her whenever she came to visit. One man was already dead on the ground, several others left and another coming to replace their dead comrade. Yuffie retreated towards Cloud's location, the end of the street blocked by wall, and made a move towards the darkness he resided in. Cloud tensed as he was about to jump at an oncoming assailant, then Yuffie reached his position. A taser line came out before she could disappear into the shadows, sending voltage through the young woman, and she collapsed onto the ground next to Cloud after crying out from the pain. Cloud's eyes went wide, and something woke up in his chest.

"Stupid bitch. Get her tied up, she'll fetch the boss a pretty penny, the princess of Wutai." Teeth gnashed and jaws lengthened.

"She killed Benny...Y'sure I can't cut her up just a little?" Vile claws retched out of swollen hands and feet, the feeling no longer painful even as they ruined thick boots.

"Nothing that'd leave a mark, I'm afraid." Ears ripped back and lengthened.

"Hmph. Maybe I'll have my way with the pretty little girl instead, no marks, right?" Clothing ripped away for a new, larger, furrier body to grow. A body ready to kill.

"Hell's that noise?" One of the kidnappers approached the unconscious ninja. A large, clawed paw met his gaze, resting in front of the girl. Hovering two feet above the short man, a rabid looking face filled with razor sharp teeth looked down at him, the blue eyes floating in black scleras conveying absolute rage. A low growl came forth, the criminals bringing up their weapons fearfully.

 ** _"NOT...PACK...KILL." The wolf was happy to oblige._**


	8. Werewolf of Edge

"F-fuck! The fuck is that thing!?" Shink. A claw ripped through an exposed neck. The man went to cover his leaking vein, his head suddenly smashing against a hard wall as a paw backhanded it. He crumpled to the ground, head imploded, a dent left on the metal wall. A cry came from one of the man's friends as they finally realized what was happening, and he stumbled over his feet. A snarl left the maw of the blond beast as it flexed its claws, and it kicked the corpse of its first victim savagely into some trashcans.

The monster turned its glowing, malevolent eyes towards its next victim, a flash of electrical energy coursing through the beast as it did so. Undeterred by the the stun gun, it roared and backhanded the offending arm, dislocating it and sending the man flying to the ground. The villain hit the pavement with a sickening thump and a grunt of escaped air. The would-be kidnapper stirred, his uninjured arm trying to reach for the fallen taser in a desperate bid to protect himself despite it barely having any effect on the monster. A clawed foot smashed into the creeping hand, breaking his bones; the man let out a muffled cry as flesh, metal and plastic meshed together from the pressure.

 _ **'Protect pack. Kill threats.'**_ Cloud was neither on top of the wolf nor smothered by it; he was in harmony with the beast, enjoying his wholesale slaughter of the people who would dare hurt his friends, his family, his pack...He bent down suddenly and with a snap of his jaws he pinched the man's neck and then tore upwards as his clawed foot held the torso steady. The force severed his victim's neck. As he did so the two others climbed onto his back to stab him, one digging a dagger into his shoulder, another trying for his kidney. The hide wouldn't let the weapons dig in much to their surprise and horror. Cloud shook them off with a vicious snarl as he came back up with his victim's flesh hanging from his jaw, twisting the head off one attacker with a sickening rip and quickly kicking the other man into a wall with one of his powerful legs.

"Fucking monster...!" The man gasped after nearly being imprinted into the wall, his lower ribs cracked. He tried to steady himself as Cloud finished tearing off his friend's head and tossing it savagely down the street, the blood spurting onto a building before merely flowing onto the pavement from the body. Cloud turned as the man attempted to pathetically charge towards his chest in an adrenaline fueled, desperate attack; then a large claw ended it all, disemboweling the dastardly fellow and lifting him off the ground. Cloud brought back his now red stained claw, hot blood flowing from the ruptured organs and arteries of the man as he crumpled to the ground before he could ever hope to avenge his friends.

Cloud growled as he stood on his hind legs, one clawed foot stomping on the corpse of the disemboweled kidnapper; the man's entrails pushed out from the pressure as he crushed the rib cage. The scent of blood and death was heavy in the air, and he licked his lips of the sticky, sweet, coppery fluid. He sniffed the air again after a minute, looking about with his back straight. A familiar scent hit his nose, of youth and foreign plains, and it brought his mind back into some sort of human focus. His eyes locked onto a little hunched over thing in the alley, noisily speaking to itself while sitting in a pile of torn fabric. Cloud slowly made his way to the figure after relaxing his back again, slightly hunched as he stalked towards her on his hind legs. _**'Protect friend.'**_

* * *

"Nnnngh..." Yuffie groaned as she pushed herself up, her face roughed up and bleeding from her tumble to the ground. She winced and put a hand to her aching head as she looked in front of her, into a shadowy alley. The alley was deadly silent, as if there hadn't been a fight after all. She sniffed blood back into her nose, then looking forward and bringing an arm up to rub whatever fluid still ran from her nostrils. Before she looked behind her something jingled, vibrated and glowed nearby, and her eyes slowly adjusted to the low light. Torn clothing littered the alley, the dark fabric strangely familiar to her as she picked up a piece and rubbed it between her fingers; it felt like Cloud's shirt...

She crawled to the phone with her aching limbs. It was cradled in a pocket that was connected to a chunk of black, torn pants. Her heart skipped a beat as she pulled it out and looked at it; it was Cloud's phone. He found her? What happened to Cloud, did he explode? Looking side to side at the mess around her, she shakily pressed the accept button on the sleek black phone. The number belonged to Tifa. Yuffie put the phone up to her ear, and a click sounded from the other line. Tifa's worried voice came chiming from the other side.

"Cloud!"

"It's Yuffie..." She situated herself as she sat on her knees.

Tifa's voice seemed to be ever more concerned. "Yuffie, you're okay! ...Where's Cloud?"

The ninja snorted as she flicked a piece of cloth. "I don't know...His clothing is like, everywhere."

There was a pause on Tifa's side. "Yuffie, just calmly walk away from the area, please."

"Why? I already got attacked by some stupid jerks, do I have to worry about a streaking Cloud now, too?" She froze as the sensation of hot, wet breath blew on her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. A squeak left her mouth, and she lowered the phone as Tifa shouted into at her. Looking back and up, Yuffie glared into the face of a very familiar beast that was crouching right behind her, its blue eyes softly glowing in the darkness and watching her. She moved her eyes to the torn fabric, then back at the spiky furred blond monster; the snout was blotched red and blood dribbled from its claws, making her skin crawl. The thing had a noisy breath, grumbling as it panted slowly, and it watched her patiently. She let in a sharp inhale and looked directly into the eyes of the beast, her dark grey eyes unblinking. "...Cloud?"

* * *

 _ **'Cloud...Pack. Pack member. Bring her to the pack. Bring her home, bring her to the den.'**_ His mind began to clear from the bloodlust more, the bestial instincts clearly satisfied with the death of the assailants. Cloud, too, was pleased with the destruction, the bastards deserving what they got in his opinion. Yuffie was still staring up into his eyes, frozen after she uttered his name. He slowly raised his head to take stock of the situation. The ninja let out a high pitched grunt as he moved.

There were five dead people, four savaged so badly as to be unrecognizable, and there was a good chance that their screams and his roars attracted unwanted attention. They would have time to actually talk later, when his mouth could properly make human sounds again. Cloud looked back at Yuffie, who jumped at his sudden movement before falling onto her rear. Her eyes were wide and her jaw was tensed. She said something harshly, but he couldn't understand her words. He understood she was afraid, however. The sound of distant footsteps were growing closer, and he licked his lips nervously; they were running out of time.

He very slowly lifted a paw and pointed a claw behind her, trying to communicate that she should leave. Yuffie stared at him warily, unsure what he was doing. A loud sigh came from his mouth, making Yuffie recoil, and he jabbed the air in the direction he wanted her to go again. Afterwards he started to back away, deciding to find an alternate route home; it would bring less attention to her if a lumbering beast wasn't following behind her. Besides, it seemed to him that Yuffie was too dense for his very basic game of charades. He went off on all fours, hurriedly disappearing from the ninja's sight. _**'Don't just stand there, Yuffie...Run!'**_

* * *

"W-what, you're just gonna leave me here?!" Yuffie asked nervously. So, her feelings were right. That monster was Cloud, and he was hiding it away from them all! Of course he would do that, the dumbass hid his Geostigma until Tifa finally went to his little hidey hole and found out. Now he was putting everyone in danger with this crap. Yuffie promised herself to knock him senseless the next time she saw him.

The noise of people coming ever closer brought Yuffie back to the present. The spunky ninja didn't want to have to deal with the authorities, or worse, friends of those men that were torn to pieces. She may work for the WRO, but she would have a hard time explaining this. She looked around for any more items that would belong to Cloud, recovering his keys from another ruined pocket, and booked it out of the dark alley. Soon, she recognized the area she was in. Yuffie made her way towards the bar, occasionally feeling eyes on her. She didn't know if it were the eyes of humans or an animal. She turned a corner onto the main road towards Seventh Heaven.

"Waaah!" Yuffie cried out as she slammed into someone. As she regained her balance, she noticed it was Tifa she had smashed into. She was breathing heavily, her mahogany eyes huge and her hand holding Yuffie's shoulder. Her other fist had something metal clinging to it, shining in the light of a streetlamp. "Tifa! Omigawd I'm so glad you're here..." Yuffie's face became solemn as she looked at the woman in front of her, remembering Tifa's words on the phone. "...You knew, didn't you?" she whispered.

Tifa slowly nodded. "I'm sorry, Yuffie...He went looking for you. He thought he had enough time to rescue you and get to the Wastes..." Yuffie sighed, then nodded. That sounded like Spike, alright. Now he was roaming around Edge, getting into who knows what kind of trouble. She would yell at them both later for not telling her, but right now they had to make sure Cloud didn't kill anyone that didn't deserve it.

"Should we...look for him?" Yuffie rubbed her neck, unsure what to do. Cloud saved her, after all. Why not return the favor?

Tifa shook her head. "I'll...I'll look. You're hurt as it is." She winced at the bloody facial injuries, hoping Cloud had nothing to do with it. He'd been himself the last time he met Yuffie like this, but she couldn't shake the fear that one day someone wouldn't be so lucky. "Watch the children for us, please." Tifa started to make her way into the darkness of Edge's alleys.

Yuffie nodded, heading towards the bar. "Good luck, Tifa. Please stay safe."

Tifa lifted her fist, a silvery bangle tightly held on it. She gave a small smile, as if to reassure Yuffie. "I'll be fine."

* * *

Cloud released a low and frustrated growl as he searched for his way back home. If he could just hide behind the bar, he could block out the sights and scents of the city. The smells had become even more intense as a wolf, and he could smell humans, trash, stray animals and bodily fluids everywhere. The sounds of the still bustling main roads called to him, filled with people wandering about in the night. They would be so easy to prey upon. Cloud shook his head, trying to put the urges down; he had had enough death for one night, but he wasn't so sure about the instincts that were trying to overwhelm him like the city itself.

Behind him he thought he heard more footsteps, the sounds and smells of others. He growled again before pushing himself forward and away from them, trying to escape possible trouble. There had been enough blood spilled tonight in Cloud's opinion, even if that urge was still there. Looking around the narrow alley he found his next exit, disappearing from any possible pursuers.

Creeping down the dark alleyway he paused, breathing heavily and relishing the reprieve from muted sounds with closed eyes while behind some boxes. _**'Home...Den...Get home.'**_ Cloud plodded through the alley, home being another street over if he remembered right. He peeked out from the other side, one side clear and the other side holding a drunk so plastered Cloud's nose twitched at the stench of alcohol from the far away booze hound. He let out a little snort. He was no threat at all. _**'Not pack...No danger. No kill.'**_ He urged his instincts to not attack, the act just wanton destruction to Cloud.

Tensing, he looked back and forth, then charged towards the next alley. The shout of the drunkard was ignored; the man would would more than likely not remember in the morning, Cloud thought. With a huff Cloud reached the other end of the alley, his footsteps splashing through a puddle of stagnant water from an afternoon rainstorm. He raised himself on his hind legs, then grasped onto a wall while looking about for the final alley. Suddenly he felt something small hit his side, and a burning sensation ripping through his ribs. He fell over in pain, then looked about for the threat. He growled viciously and bared his teeth.

He blinked; it was a woman. Her ruby eyes were as large as saucers on her pale white face. She had fallen on her behind on the sidewalk by his feet, terrified and transfixed by the large glowering beast, a fearful squeak forcing itself out of her mouth as she shook. Cloud slowly raised himself up off the ground, his eyes trained on her and his growls silenced. She said something he couldn't quite understand, except his name. The voice was gentle and worried and afraid, and he sniffed the air around her. That smell that always tamed him, that flowery, heavy scent, even if it was tinged with terror at the moment. He swallowed hard. _**'Tifa...Love. Mine. Protect.'**_ The wolf inside understood, this was his mate. A very special human. He let out a small grumble, then shrunk down to show as little threat as possible.

* * *

Tifa continued to stare at Cloud, unsure what to do. Moments ago he looked like he was going to savagely tear her to shreds, but now he just stood there, dumbfounded at her appearance. She was paralyzed with fear, his large, furry body blood stained. Thoughts of her nightmares ran though her head as she looked him up and down. Breathing quickly, Tifa looked up into his face, the eyes softly glowing in the darkness in her direction. Cloud didn't move, as if he was waiting on her to do something. She swallowed hard before speaking, her voice squeaking from fear. "C-Cloud..." His eyes lit up at the mention of his name, his ears swiveling forward. Tifa pointed towards the next alley slowly with a shaking hand. "Home..." She picked herself up anxiously and moved towards the next alley, looking behind her as he slowly moved onto all fours and trailed behind her like a lost puppy. His head reached above her hips.

It took a huge amount of effort for her to not run away, his hot breath on her legs and ankles giving a spring to her steps. She steadied herself, taking a deep shaking breath then biting her lower lip. _'It's Cloud. It's Cloud. It doesn't matter if he looks like this, it's Cloud.'_ She sighed, looking back as soon as they reached the next alley. He was still at her side, an expectant look on his face. "Almost there, Cloud." Her voice was still full of fear, and the beast picked up on it. Was he frowning? She looked back, checking to see if the coast was clear. Her lips twitched. _'Even like this...He can give one of his famous frowns.'_

The street was abandoned, and she made her way towards the bar as Cloud trotted behind her. They hugged against the buildings on the far side of the road, coming to the small passage that led to the back of the garage entrance. Cloud crawled in front of her, finding a corner he could hide in. He laid down, a grateful expression growing on his face. Tifa hesitated, then slowly walked over to the large monster. She sat next to him with her knees tucked in towards her chest. She took the silver bracelet off of her fist, placing it in a pocket, and immediately noticed a sigh of sorts from Cloud.

"So...this is...you, Cloud." She hesitantly stretched a shaking hand out to him, still scared but determined to overcome this fear with his help. Cloud nudged it gently with his nose while looking up at her. His ears were facing forward, listening to her voice. She very slowly ran her fingers through his head fur, the sensation very obviously relaxing him as he closed his eyes with a deep hum. "You're like a big dog..." She almost giggled as she crossed her legs on the dry pavement. Cloud's large head gently sat in her lap, the beast enjoying the sensations of Tifa's fingers in his fur. "What will we ever do with you," she whispered, and Cloud let loose a tired sigh through his nose.

Tifa sat there, rubbing the large beast's head for what seemed like forever. Cloud was fast asleep with his head in her lap, his body laying on its side in the shade of the side alley. Tifa carefully took her phone from her pocket without disturbing the slumbering beast, messaging Yuffie that they were both safe and to put the kids to bed, and that she would see them in the morning. turning her phone off, she put it back in her pocket. A sigh escaped her lips. "Cloud..." she whispered, not expecting a response.

* * *

Yuffie had been entertaining the children for the last hour, avoiding their more pressed questions as to Tifa's whereabouts or why she was so pale and jittery, or why her face was scraped up. Marlene had gotten tired of playing cards and instead wanted to know where her mother figure was. "Aunt Yuffie! It's almost midnight. Where's Tifa?"

The ninja shook her head. "She's out looking for Cloud...He, um...forgot his phone!" That should be a good enough excuse.

Denzel looked at Yuffie, then at Marlene. He whispered into the little girl's ear. "Was that a good idea?" Marlene shrugged in response, unsure.

Denzel made a face, then looked back at Yuffie. "But he would be back in the morning. He's doing an overnight delivery, right? I don't think he'd need his phone that badly..."

The ninja shrugged, scratching her back. "I...I guess." Her eyes were wide.

Marlene hopped up and down. "We should go look for Tifa then!"

Yuffie shook her head furiously. "No! Tifa told me to watch over you guys until she came back." The ninja looked over at the clock, it was nearly midnight. She looked back at the children. "In fact, you two gotta go to bed now!" They should have been in bed a couple of hours ago as it was.

"We don't have school tomorrow, we can stay up and look!" Denzel protested.

"I'm puttin' my foot down, you gotta sleep! Here, I'll tuck you in." She tussled with the children, finally getting them into their respective beds after more defiant posturing from the children. Yuffie tucked them in tightly while giving them an exasperated look.

"Look, guys...I promise. I'll try to get a hold of Tifa. But I also promised her I'd stay here with you guys, so...Don't try to make me break my promise to her." She was pleading with the children at this point.

Denzel and Marlene looked at each other from their beds, then back at Yuffie. "Okay, Aunt Yuffie," they said in unison. Yuffie let out a huge sigh.

"Thank you! I'm gonna see if I can get a hold of Tifa. Good night, kiddos!" She made her way out of the bedroom to the glow of the hallway, stomping down the stairs into the low lit bar. She took her phone out, ready to message Tifa. As she flipped it open, a message came from from the barmaid; The ninja mumbling out the words. Put the kids to bed? Way ahead of you, Tifa. "...Where's a safe place, though?" She messaged Tifa back as her head rested on the counter of the bar while she sat on a stool.

Yuffie bounced her foot, waiting for a reply. She wondered if Cloud had been looking at her like she was a tender little pork chop, but she shoved the thought out of her mind almost as soon as it had come to mind. He protected her from those men, to the point that they were barely recognizable. She sniffled a little bit, wondering what could have possibly befallen Cloud this time. As upset as she was at him, she couldn't help but feel sad for him too. Hadn't life been cruel enough to him? Again she looked at her phone, then sighed heavily while mumbling for Tifa to pick up. She never got a response back before she succumbed to her mental and physical exhaustion after the evening's events.


	9. Talk of the Town

"Mmm..." Cloud slowly opened his eyes, his head resting in something soft and warm. He looked up to Tifa's dropping head, her face peaceful in sleep despite the uncomfortable position, the grey light of dawn a halo of light around her. Her hand had been over his head, on his soft spiky hair. He slowly moved himself away from her lap; Tifa had always been a heavy sleeper compared to him, and didn't stir. Cloud looked at his hands, dried blood over his fingers and a coppery taste lingering in his mouth still. _'Really did a number on those bastards,'_ He thought to himself, uncaring about their modes of death by him.

Hell, he felt proud of the acts, saving Yuffie from those cretins, the thought of pitying them never even crossing his mind except as some joke. He guessed Denzel and Marlene were right after all, so far. Maybe, he mused, he was integrating the beast into him on his own terms, though what that might mean for his human life he wasn't quite sure just yet. Yawning, he looked back at Tifa, and he shook her gently, trying to wake her; it would be bad form to be caught by the neighbors like this. "Tifa..." He nudged her again, calling for her.

Tifa shifted, groaning as she moved her stiff neck about, her eyes still closed as her neck crunched back into place. She looked towards the sound of her name, her eyes opening to a naked, dirty Cloud, his knees tucked to his chest as he leaned against the wall. His body was blood stained and dirt caked his legs, and he looked at her with an uncomfortable look on his face, a blush illuminating his cheeks. He mumbled a greeting. "...Mornin'."

Tifa rubbed her eyes, not surprised by his dirty, naked visage. "Cloud...Morning..." She slowly got up, stretching her stiff body as Cloud sat still, watching his lover work the kinks out of her body. Finishing, she looked down at Cloud, the couple chilly in the morning air, the werewolf beginning to shiver. Tifa held out her gloved hand and he took it, rising from his position despite his embarrassment of his physical state. She rustled through her pockets, looking for her keys, and at last finding them she fumbled for the garage door button.

With a click, it opened with the sound of metal chains pulling the door up, and the two sneaked into the dark garage, Fenrir glinting from the pale dawn's light. Quickly shutting it again, Cloud held his hand out to Tifa, and together they made their way to the back of the room; the warm darkness hugging them both as they tip-toed about. Tifa slowly opened the door to the bar, peeking about. Yuffie was fast asleep at the counter, mumbling in her sleep.

Tifa motioned for Cloud, and they both quickly went up the stairs as quietly as they could; she stayed in front of him in case the children barged out of their room, trying to hide his nakedness. A sleepy shout could be heard downstairs, and Cloud swiftly made his way to the bathroom, shutting the door as he heard footsteps coming up the stairs after them, and the sounds of little feet falling from beds and a door opening. He wondered if everyone living here was a light sleeper, and he breathed quickly from the dreadful thrill of streaking in his own home. Sighing to himself, he turned on the shower and hopped in, letting the hot water rinse away last night's bloody evidence and rejuvenating his body.

* * *

"Hey! Hey! You thought you could sneak in here like nothin' happened?!" Yuffie stopped her rant towards Tifa, looking at the two children that had appeared in the doorway next to her. _'Poor guys...Don't even know what Cloud's become...'_ She looked over at the children, still rubbing their eyes and yawning; it must still be early. "Uh, me and Tifa gotta talk, and Cloud, too! It's adult stuff, you see..." She tapped her fingers together.

Tifa rubbed her eyes with a hand, breathing through her nose. "They know about Cloud, Yuffie."

Yuffie gawked. "You mean to tell me you'll tell the kids, but not me?! What the hell is wrong with you two!" she shouted. The children giggled, and the ninja looked back at them with a pout.

"We found out about Cloud, they didn't tell us anything." Denzel said.

Tifa crossed her arms. "I was the last to find out..." The thought still annoyed her, despite understanding why; Cloud would always try to keep his problems to himself so no one else worried. She supposed he would never learn.

Yuffie held her face in her head, groaning. "That guy is such a pain in the ass." Tifa giggled, nodding her head.

"Cloud is Cloud..." Tifa chuckled some more, then turned around, heading for the bedroom. "I'll start making some breakfast as soon as I clean up. If you want to rest until then, it might be an hour or so." Reaching the bedroom, Tifa found some clothing for Cloud to wear; the usual black pants and black shirt, and a pair of boxers. She went to the closet by the bathroom, picking out a towel, and then knocked on the bathroom door. "It's me," she said.

A mumbled answer to come in came from the other side of the door and she opened up into the steamy room, warm mist clinging to her exposed legs. Shutting the door, she placed the clean clothing on top of the metal rack opposite the sink and held onto the towel, leaning on the porcelain of the sink with her eyes closed. She heard Cloud let out a refreshed sigh, then the sound of the water knobs squeaking as the water shut off. A few moments later he moved back the shower curtain, his normally gravity defying hair clinging to his now clean face.

Tifa handed him the towel, a thanks given in response. He looked Tifa up and down with an unreadable expression, then went to work drying his body off, finally rubbing the moisture out of his hair; the locks poofing like a chocobo's behind. Cloud looked back at Tifa as he fetched his boxers. "...Thank you for your help last night."

Tifa gave a half smile, looking down at her fingers as Cloud fumbled with his clothing, finally clean after the events of last night. Deep in thought, she didn't notice him come closer until his lips were on her cheek, the man giving her a snuggling hug; she returned the hug back, humming softly. When they finally parted, they held each other's hands, and she looked into his rich blue eyes. _'I guess those eyes will always look at me like that,'_ the thought reassuring. "I better get ready, too." She went to prepare for her own shower, Cloud leaving the bathroom with her, parting as he went downstairs.

Cloud let out a sniffle, the scent of coffee welcome after the long, difficult night. Yuffie was sitting down at the counter, a mug in her hand already and a grumpy look on her face as she looked up at him. He snorted at her, walking over to a cabinet for a mug, pouring a cup of the hot, caffeinated liquid. Rummaging through the fridge, he located the creamer and poured some into his drink, then stirred it as he put the it back where it was before. He went to sit next to Yuffie, the girl doing and saying nothing, the werewolf enjoying his coffee in peace for a few moments before speaking.

"...Sorry if I was late again," Cloud said, slowly looking over to his friend. Yuffie's face was unreadable as she sipped from her mug, Cloud wincing as he got a closer look at the small cut on the side of her face from her fall. It could have been so much worse...

Yuffie looked him up and down, a groan escaping her lips. "You need to work on your entrance, Spike. Or you're gonna end up with my shuriken in your chest." She took a heavy breath, steadying herself. "And for Da Chao's sake, don't keep your friends in the dark when you have a damn problem! Thought I was gonna die by fur ball last night, Gawd..."

Cloud had a half smile on his face, his friend's chastisement heartening. "I only wanted to kill those bastards that hurt you."

"Tifa said you thought you had enough time to get me and leave...What happened to that? Just wanted to give me a show, and half scare the life outta me?" She got up to fix another cup of coffee as she spoke, stirring in cream and sugar. Yuffie walked back over to her seat, waiting for Cloud's response. He seemed to be thinking back, a frown on his face.

He looked towards her, his face showing vexation at whatever he remembered. Yuffie shrunk back a little, staring at him. "...When I found you, you almost made it into the alley I was lurking in, but then they knocked you out before I could join the fight..." The ninja instinctively put her hand to her chest, where the prongs entered her and zapped her so hard she collapsed. He looked down. "...And when I heard what they said they were going to do to you...I snapped." Cloud looked away, sipping his coffee.

"Just like the other night, huh..." She stirred her coffee absentmindedly, remembering that the assailants knew who she was. She was going to have to watch her back now, if there were people after her for ransom money. "I really don't know how I'm gonna keep up with this. You already saved my ass twice in less than a month." She made it sound so flippant, and Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Yuffie." The ninja snorted at his remark, shaking her head after another sip from her mug.

"I still wanna knock you silly for keeping this from me. Your friends can't help you if you won't say anything to us." The young woman tapped her nails on the counter, looking at him.

Cloud took a long swig of his drink, finishing it off. "I guess you're right. Can you blame me, though? Werewolves aren't known to be cuddly little fur balls, full of love and sunshine." He noted he sure as hell wasn't cuddly, unless it was someone from his...pack. Especially Tifa.

Yuffie let out a little chuckle, pointing at her friend as he fixed another mug. He looked back at her as she spoke. "That's true and all, but you seem like you're gonna be a pain no matter what." She drummed her fingers on her cheeks, a mischievous grin on her face as a scenario went through her mind. Cloud, his hair still fluffy from the towel drying he gave it, frowned at the look she was giving him, sipping his fresh drink. "What will Barret think, Marlene livin' with a werewolf?"

Cloud spit his mouthful of coffee out, spewing the hot fluid onto the floor. "Oh, hell no, he'd shoot a hundred silver bullets into my chest. There's no way I'm tellin' him!" He actually looked afraid of the thought of Barret confronting him, obviously having almost forgotten that the big, burly man liked to visit when he could and see Marlene, his adopted daughter.

Thinking about it, Cloud saw the little girl as a daughter, too. Denzel especially he looked at as his son, though the words were strange to even think about. He could easily admit that he cared deeply for the children however, the two along with Tifa being his support in day to day life. He loved them, and he'd slaughter anyone that would hurt a hair on their head, either with his swords or now his claws.

"Damn...Thanks for that thought, Yuffie." Cloud began cleaning his mess up with some paper towels, the ninja cackling at his reaction. Tifa came down the stairs as he cleaned, mumbling coming from the spiky haired man as he wiped the coffee up and thought about his inevitable death by Barret's hand cannon. Tifa looked down at him, then up at Yuffie, the girl smiling evilly.

"I see you two are back to your usual bickering," Tifa mused as she retrieved a pan hanging from a cabinet. She placed it on the stove, then went through the fridge as Cloud got up from his knees. The werewolf's craving for meat had shrunk her bacon stores; she'd have to go out later for more. Picking out the last package and the egg carton, she placed it on the counter. "Any requests for breakfast?" Yuffie shrugged, uncaring so long as it was good. Cloud gave much the same response, Tifa knowing he'd be happy as long as the breakfast contained meat.

* * *

The family walked down the road, heading towards a shopping district to purchase new clothing; not only did the children need some new clothing for the upcoming Summer, Cloud had to buy himself some new boots and replace the clothing he ruined last night while protecting Yuffie. For now, the black sneakers he normally wore while doing work on his bike or for quick excursions outside would suffice. His green-grey shirt stood out over his black jeans, Tifa wearing a blue blouse and white shorts.

"Cloud! We heard you took care of a bunch of bad guys last night." Denzel hugged his side, and Marlene hugged onto Tifa, the kids happy that their hero was taking the day off.

"Yeah! Aunt Yuffie said you made sure they were sorry for hurting her!" Marlene was beaming at him, neither of them understanding that "taking care" of bad guys involved him tearing them to shreds like they were wet pinatas. Tifa raised a brow, her free hand to her mouth. Cloud wasn't sure if she was hiding a smile or a frown; she had been hard to read since after breakfast, even with his keen sense of smell.

"She loves to tell you guys everything, huh..." Cloud frowned, not wanting the children to think such things of him. They nodded at him, little smiles trained on him. He sighed, shaking his head over Yuffie and her penchant for telling the children every possible thing that occurred between him and her.

Entering the store, Cloud followed Tifa's lead, the woman knowing exactly where to go in the clothing shop; he was clueless and totally out of his element when it came to clothing. Proper measurements, size charts, what looked best with what, Cloud had an idea of what he liked to wear, and kept to his usual style or something more casual around the house. Years of being either an infantryman or a science experiment on the run didn't help with his civilian life, though he had much improved since Meteorfall; he hadn't even known the name of various vegetables Tifa needed for the bar until she taught him.

Moving towards the men's section, Tifa searched out replacements for Cloud's ruined ensemble, putting a shirt up to him here and there and putting to the side any that looked like they would be a proper fit. He stood there like a good mannequin, using the time to listen to the bustle of human voices that softly filled the large store, and attempting to block out Marlene and Denzel's nearby discussion on what sunglasses looked better.

"...They said there was five dead people on Fira Street." Cloud's ears perked at the mention of last night's events.

"I heard it was a stray monster that found its way into the city. Do they know who the victims were?" The woman's voice sounded concerned.

"They haven't released the names yet. They're still cleaning up the mess..."

"A buddy of mine who was at the scene this morning said there was ripped clothing everywhere, so there might be a sixth victim."

"Really? Edge certainly feels less safe after last night..."

Cloud swallowed, never one to enjoy being the talk of the town. All they had to do was not harass his friend, and they'd still be alive and in one piece. _'I hope this doesn't complicate things down the road...'_ he thought to himself, the possibility of some detective getting on the case quite strong, especially if their boss was someone with strings to pull in the local government, if they even cared at all that their underlings were killed in a...random monster rampage.

"What's wrong, Cloud?" Tifa was looking over some pants that were the proper measurements for him. She looked up, brows together. "You're frowning."

He looked around, then came closer to whisper in her ear. "Looks like my rescue is the talk of the town, today."

Tifa folded the pants and placed them down, next to the shirt pile. "You aren't surprised, are you?"

"No. I guess I'm just a little anxious." He fidgeted a little, resembling a child who had gotten themselves into trouble to Tifa. She smiled at him, picking up the bundle of clothing and ushering him towards the shoes to look for new boots. He wandered towards a pair that seemed almost identical to the ones he had lost, trying on a few pairs until he found the proper fitting size. Just in case, he picked up two pairs, thinking it would be best to not have to go out again in case something like last night happened again.

Sitting at the front of the store with his purchased items in bags, he waited patiently for Tifa to finish her shopping; the children needed new shorts and sandals, and Marlene wanted a new summer dress. A middle aged man sat next to Cloud, the man talking to his friend. He patted Cloud on the shoulder, getting his attention, the werewolf looking over towards him.

"Hey, what d'you think about those attacks last night? Pretty scary, huh?"

Cloud tried his best to not look uncomfortable. "I guess so...Uh, I just got back into town, so the news is pretty fresh."

The man nodded quickly, patting Cloud's shoulder yet again. "Ah, well it happened last night! Let me tell you, I saw a big, yellow wolf monster roaming the streets last night, and it was comin' from the street those men were at!

Cloud's face drained of color, the man ribbing him for his reaction. "Um, did you see which way it went?"

The man shook his head. "Disappeared into an alleyway. No idea where it went after that."

Cloud nodded his head, calming down. It'll be harder to pin him down than he thought.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice Tifa and the kids approach him until her melodious voice chimed at him, the kids requesting an ice cream as Cloud got up from his seat to join his family. They left the store and entered the sunny, beautiful spring day. Maybe it would all blow over, he thought.


	10. A Good Time and Complications

Just so we're all clear, Evan Townshend is NOT my character, he has his own book that's been partially translated already. Kyrie and Vits are the same.

* * *

"So..." Cloud began, laying on his back with his hands behind his head. The day after his night rampage had been surprisingly good, despite the city bustling with rumors about his work. He'd gotten some new clothing and boots, and the family had gone out for ice cream afterwards, despite his lack of desire for sweets anymore. They were far too sweet ever since he became a werewolf, though he found ice cream in small amounts wasn't bad at all. He figured the cold and dairy may have something to do with it.

"Hm?" Tifa looked over at him, laying a little closer to Cloud than in past nights.

"...Do you think I'll give you nightmares tonight?" He had a half smile on his face, putting Tifa on the spot before bed like this was a naughty pleasure. He heard her sigh as she sat up in the bed, streetlights illuminating her back and dark hair softly. Tifa sat like that for a moment, playing with her fingers.

"...I don't think so, Cloud. I think I'll be alright. I...I think with you, I'll be okay." She felt his calloused hand rubbing her back a little, trying to coax her to lay back down with him. Tifa looked back at him; Cloud was on his side facing her now, his eyes glowing in the dark, looking at her...She laid back down, propping her upper body up with her elbow while facing Cloud. With her free hand she stroked his hair, running her fingers through his soft spikes; he closed his eyes with a peaceful smile on his face, obviously enjoying the attention. She giggled. "This helps, I think...You're not so scary when all you want is for me to pet you..." Cloud gave her a small chuckle.

"I could get used to it..." He said in a low voice, raising his brows momentarily. The sensation of her fingers running through his hair and dancing on his scalp immediately calmed him, the same sensation from last night helping him block out the city's noises and smells. He gave her a content smile, his eyes opening a little to look at Tifa. He cupped her cheek in his hand as she continued to pet his head. "I don't know what I'd do with out you sometimes, Teef."

Tifa smiled back at him, rubbing behind his ear. Her fears after last night felt as if they were somewhat tamed, though she knew if she met any other werewolf besides him it would probably send the terrors backs into her heart. But, she could handle Cloud, that she was sure of after her encounter with him the night before. "Cloud..."

He reached over and kissed her, his hand running through her hair now. She returned it happily, her lover cradling her in his arms. When their lips finally parted, he rested his head above hers on the pillows, gently rubbing her ear. She kept her hand on the side of his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breath with her head close to his neck. They laid there happily, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Cloud awoke slowly, the morning sun flooding the bedroom with his back warming from the light. He yawned, stretching his limbs and back as he shook off the dreamless night, gradually shuffling off the bed. The scent of Tifa's cooking caught in his nose, and he instinctively licked his lips at the smell of meat and eggs; he was certain that his eyes glinted with a feral light as his wolfish instincts demanded he investigate the smell, and he was happy to comply for once.

Tifa had been cooking steak and eggs, something she would occasionally treat the family to if steak was on sale. The children had already gone to school, the woman preparing meals for herself, Yuffie and Cloud now. The werewolf sauntered down the stairs, greeting both women as he fixed up his coffee. Yuffie was reading a newspaper she had purchased from a passing paper boy, snickering at the front page. Sitting next to her, Cloud frowned.

"What's so funny, Yuffie?" His eyes were narrow as he spoke.

She looked back at him, giving him a lopsided smile. "Your rescue is first page in the Edge Times! Bravo, Spike!"

Cloud cringed, looking down into his full cup. "Damn it...What does it say?" His voice was anxious.

Yuffie blew air out of her mouth, a little bit of her bangs floating upward. "Let's see here..." Her fingers danced over the paper, the black letters under a detective's drawing of the monster responsible. "At least five dead in unprecedented monster attack in Edge. Saturday night, a monster cornered and left five bodies on Fira street, then escaped off into the night. The picture above is a composite sketch from various witnesses of the creature; please be mindful of dark areas in the city and keep children inside after dark. Authorities will be searching for the monster and hope to terminate the threat quickly." Yuffie looked back up to Cloud, the blonde sipping his drink.

"Searching, huh? They'll have to wait about a month, if I can help it." He sipped his coffee again, rolling his eyes.

Yuffie chuckled. "Oh, man. Always up to trouble..." She looked back at the paper, squinting distastefully. "Looks like they still haven't released the names of the dead. Oh, Evan Townshend is one of the detectives hired for the search. Wasn't he someone you're acquainted with, Cloud?"

Cloud nodded, clearly annoyed that the private detective was going to be on his case despite the generally friendly relations they had. "Damn. Well, I was out of town that night, right?" The two women nodded. Tifa came forward with two plates, placing one by Cloud and another for Yuffie. Tifa went to collect her own plate, then sat next to Cloud, who was already cutting into his steak. To his delight, it was rare, and he looked up towards Tifa, giving her a thankful smile as she winked at him.

"Hopefully it all just blows over soon, after all it was just a bunch of cronies looking to kidnap an innocent princess!" The ninja said between bites of steak and eggs.

Cloud grunted, looking up from his meal. "...And the person in charge of intelligence gathering for the WRO." He ate some scrambled egg, looking back at Yuffie.

"Oh yeah, that too. Hm." Yuffie put her fork to her lips, thinking. "I kinda owe you, so I'll try and disrupt the investigation with some bad info. As for the jerks that attacked me, I'll try and see if I can get their identities and the name of their boss. Maybe you can wreck him next." She sliced into her meat, finished with her thoughts.

Cloud swallowed a chunk of meat, the bloody flesh putting him in a better mood after the bad news. "Only if they insist on it, really. I don't want to make waves if I can help it."

Yuffie shrugged, Tifa casually listening to the two go back and forth. "I'd hang low for a bit if I were you, stay around the bar in case anyone comes around that...smells like those schmucks."

"I'd be risking tearing them up in the bar if they happened to look at Tifa the wrong way. Why do you think I was out in the Wastes that night your car broke down?"

Yuffie tapped her plate with her fork, a smirk forming. "Oh, yeah. That possessive streak of yours is something else. I remember that one time you knocked some guy out because he drunkenly slapped Tifa's ass..." A giggle came from Tifa. It was true, he was possessive of Tifa around strange men. Bar regulars seemed to respect her so he never minded them, but there was always that one guy that needed to learn his place. His recent werewolf conversion had ramped it up to an eleven, the spiky haired man having to leave the bar during particularly busy nights lest he massacre every possible threat. "Still, I'm gonna need you to sniff'em out if they show up. Just contact me, okay? We'll teach them a lesson together."

Cloud grunted. "I'll keep you posted. Thanks, Yuffie."

* * *

Cloud's troubles seem to have paused for the moment, he was hoping that the attempts to locate him would be unsuccessful and the authorities would give up. Mid-morning Yuffie left, running off in a WRO vehicle that was part of the search and exterminate mission looking for Cloud's less cuddly form, the ninja hugging them goodbye and thanking them for letting her stay for so long. They watched as the truck disappeared down the road, hoping their friend could find out something of interest. The couple looked at each other, suddenly alone on the front steps of the bar.

Tifa blushed. "Guess it's just us, until the kids get back from school..."

Cloud looked down, kicking dust. He sniffed the air...Hm. "Tifa..."

"...Hm?" Tifa's blush reddened, Cloud's brows rising.

"You got over your fear pretty quick." He snatched her waist, bringing her close to him, and she let out a small, happy squeak. "Are you sure you want a troublemaker of a wolf for a lover?" He was giving her a half lidded gaze and a naughty grin. He could smell it, she was ready for him again and he wouldn't say no to the opportunity if she would allow him, all she had to do was say so. Being a werewolf certainly compounded the situation, and he realized neither of them had had any kind of release since she put it on hiatus about a month ago.

Tifa laughed, resting her head on his chest. "Cloud...I'm very sure."

He sniffed her hair, her scent holding that heavy smell like that one night, before he told her...He took her hand, taking them into the bar and locking the door. Tifa let out a little giggle, and he gave a small laugh as they made their way up the stairs and into the bedroom.

Tifa bounced onto the bed and pulled off her blouse, her face red and her hair wild over her shoulders from their quick retreat into the bedroom. Cloud looked at her as he unzipped his shirt, soaking in the sight of her as she watched him undress his torso, her cheeks flush and legs shyly crossed. She mewled his name and he came forward, crawling over her and giving her a kiss; she opened her mouth, both letting their tongues entwine as they probed each other's mouths. Cloud slowly grabbed a breast, her bra fabric covering aroused nipples that he rubbed a thumb over.

Tifa moaned as they kissed and he grinded. She parted their lips, Cloud using his arms to push his chest up and allowing Tifa room to take off her bra; he fumbled with the bra's front latches with one hand as she maneuvered the other side, finally removing it. He brought himself down again for another kiss. When he finally raised himself up again from her, he was inches from her face, a hand wrapped in her long, chocolate brown hair.

She noticed his cerulean eyes had that feral glint that came when his wolfish instincts were aroused, his eyes half open as he looked at her with panting breaths. She kissed his neck, the sensation of his partner's mouth on his vulnerable throat a massive turn on. His breath hitched and his Adam's apple bobbed, distracted by gentle nibbles...And then Tifa had her legs wrapped around his hips, using her martial arts training to deftly flip him on the bed; his head pointed towards the door now, Tifa looking at him mischievously. He snorted, amused by the little move she used. _'Tifa is always filled with surprises...'_

"On top this time?" Cloud said playfully, a smile forming on his face as he pushed his hips against her core, making her gasp. He gave Tifa a throaty, needy growl, dragging her gently back to his mouth. She happily complied.

* * *

A man approached the bar, looking about his environment. He was familiar with this place, the owner being instrumental in his search for his mother. Now, he needed her and her live in boyfriend for some possible information on the slaughter of some men. Men that the WRO were having trouble identifying; there were no IDs on them. He had been on the scene since early in the morning, taking pictures and jotting down notes of things he found important.

He paused a moment, craning his neck. He thought he heard two noisy people within the bar, or perhaps in a neighbor's building. Attempting to open the door, he noticed the door was locked; strange considering it was about lunch time. He knocked on the door lightly, waiting a few moments before knocking harder. A moment later, the noisy people stopped whatever they were doing; he blushed as he thought of what he could have possibly interrupted. Perhaps it would have been a better idea to come in the evening, he thought. He heard the yell of a woman on the other side to give her five minutes, the man leaning against the wall next to the door patiently, playing with his black hat brim.

A few minutes later the door unlocked, and Tifa Lockhart came into view, a slight blush to her face, her hair slightly disheveled. She immediately recognized him, greeting him by name and ushering him into the bar, putting her "Closed" sign on the knob before shutting the door. Fixing him some hot tea, she stood at the counter. "Evan! It's been a while. How have you been?"

* * *

Cloud cleaned himself up in the bathroom, making himself as presentable as possible for the detective who decided to interrupt Tifa and his hours long love making session. He supposed he wasn't too terribly upset; he was staying home the next week and that would give for plenty of opportunities for the two to enjoy each other's company; perhaps Tifa needed a break today, anyway. Still, no matter how clean he felt he couldn't get rid of the smell of sex. Perhaps it was just his senses, the smell clinging to the air.

He checked his face for any signs of change; Cloud had noticed that as the session went on his fangs had grown out slightly as he pleasured Tifa, her scent driving him into a frenzy. Pulling back his lip, the offending teeth had retreated back to their now normal lengths, and his ears seemed to be normal. Focusing on his chest, he checked for any hot sensations; his heartbeat was still a little fast but there was no burning sensation. Satisfied, he left the bathroom and headed downstairs.

"Hm. Well, you're the one I wanted to talk to most." Evan motioned towards Cloud as he came into view, remembering the delivery boy from almost two years ago when he had inquired about fuel underhandedly. Giving a nod to the private investigator, he didn't take his eyes off Evan as he went to lean on the counter in front of him. "I'm sure you're already familiar with the recent slayings in the city?"

Cloud nodded. "I was out of town that night..."

Evan took a sip of his tea. "Is that so?"

Cloud's face stayed expressionless. "Yeah. I have a business making deliveries, you know."

"Ah. Yes. I remember". Evan seemed to be looking over the clothing Cloud wore, the latter looking about, uncertain what the detective was up to. "You know, Cloud...Your clothing is familiar."

Cloud gave a frown. Tifa stood in the corner of the bar, looking between them, her cheeks pink.

Evan took out his note book, and pulled something out of his pocket, hiding it in his hand. "See, there was torn clothing everywhere in the alleyway." He dropped whatever was in his hand, a few scraps of fabric that matched Cloud's usual outfit of a high collar sleeveless indigo shirt, his black pants, and some rubber from a boot fell to the counter. Cloud picked up some of the material, rubbing it between his fingers.

Cloud shrugged. "So, someone else fancied my clothing tastes, and now they're dead, right? What does it have to do with me?"

Evan shrugged. "Just thought you might be a witness...Or knew who the owner of the clothing was."

"Sorry that I can't help."

Tifa coughed, getting both men's attention. She held a serious expression on her face, one Evan remembered from the time he asked her how to get to Nibelheim. "Are there any names yet? For the victims, I mean..."

Evan shook his head, but seemed to consider the woman who helped him two years ago as he pocketed the material again. He cracked open his notebook, looking at the official pictures; one was of a severed head, the face intact, and the other was a man with a snapped neck. "Now, I hope you're quiet about this," He looked up at Tifa and then seemed to stare into Cloud's eyes longer than necessary, then back at the notebook, "We have two intact faces; one looked like it belonged to someone I came into contact with in the slums before...A Guz Lodeen."

Cloud looked up, eyes closed. "Guz Lodeen..." He looked back slowly at Evan. The detective blinked his icy blue eyes behind black dyed hair, his face unreadable.

Evan seemed to jot something down in his notebook. "Yes. Anyway, I might come by again later, if anything turns up or you hear anything, I'd be willing to swap information." He dug through his pockets again, this time leaving some gil for the tea. "Thank you for your time." He got up from his seat and gave a refined nod to the couple, then went towards the door, disappearing beyond.

Cloud let out a sigh. "Good thing I didn't have my wallet on me that night, would have complicated things a bit." Tifa gave his hand a pat, smiling. He looked back at her, scratching the back of his head. "Guess you have to open the bar now..." He thought a moment. "And I guess I'll clean the sheets, before the kids get back home."

* * *

Evan walked back into the bright light of day, something else in his hand as he walked down the road. He looked at the card, a WRO access card for Cloud Strife, his stoic face staring back at him in the sunlight. The detective had found it in a ruined pocket of the strewn fabric, pocketing it before the scene workers would notice.

He frowned, still unsure what connection Cloud would have to the slayings. It was clearly done by a monster, except for the fifth body; his neck had been broken by blunt force, a dirty foot print on his neck. Would Cloud kill like that, and what about the monster? There were sightings of the beast that night but not since.

Evan admitted he didn't know Cloud particularly well, but he was always unassuming...except for the fact he knew Don Corneo and somehow acquired free gas from him. That was suspicious, but there was no possible connection between this and that; did Cloud see something he wished he could have forgotten? Did he kill the man with the broken neck, and was somehow ambushed by the monster? What about his clothing everywhere?

There were more questions now, but he must prevail, if just for his employers.


	11. Mastering Yourself

"Hmm..." Evan jotted down some more notes. He had been watching Seventh Heaven and especially Cloud the last two weeks, the man having stayed in the vicinity of the bar for a few days, then back to his deliveries up through the second week, though naturally Evan didn't stray from the city to pry too much; there were too many monsters outside the city still. His behavior had given the detective no reason to suspect he knew the slum resident slaughtered in the alleyway, and the corpses of those killed withheld their identities; the local government had given them a pauper's funeral.

In fact, the WRO had come up with absolutely nothing, their head of intelligence offering that all evidence she had uncovered indicated that the monster had simply moved on; indeed she might be correct as there hadn't been a sighting or victims since. Evan had been given payment for his assistance, but he had decided he wanted to get to the bottom of Cloud's obvious involvement in the case; he lived too close to Evan for him not to wonder if Cloud had a shadier side to him.

Watching from the roof of his business and home, Evan watched Cloud during the day as he spoke to someone over the phone on the front steps of the bar, the street empty before the lunch hour. His binoculars focused on the delivery boy's face, a consternated look warping his pale countenance. He put his cellphone down, putting it in his back pocket, then looked around. Evan hid on his roof, crouching down so the man wouldn't notice him. Peeking back up when he felt the coast was clear, Cloud had disappeared from view. Sighing, Evan decided to go back to the bar in a short while, and perhaps pick up some gossip with his lunch.

He went downstairs, the home empty for now. Kyrie was at her part time job at a cafe, and Vits was at school, the final weeks before summer vacation dwindling down. Evan thought a moment, wondering how Cloud could sometimes almost seem to know he was there, watching. After a while, he had decided to watch from a distance instead as a safer substitute; some of the looks Cloud had given him had stopped him in his tracks. At the bottom of the stairs, he slid behind his desk, fishing out some evidence in his case, then walked towards the door and out into Edge.

"Hello, Evan! Fancy seeing you here again!" Tifa chimed at him, giving him a smile. He returned it back out of politeness, knowing her smile was as fake as his. She took his order, the detective taking the lunch special and his usual black tea. Turning around towards the stove, Tifa began to cook, looking back at Evan to speak. "So...is it true they stopped the investigation?" Her smile seemed more sincere now, he noticed.

Evan sipped some of his tea. "It's true, they've canceled it. They said the monster was no longer in the city." Did she just sigh? "...But I'm still investigating." She turned around again, a small frown on her face.

"Still investigating?" Tifa repeated. "How come?" Her attention momentarily went back to Evan's lunch cooking in the pan.

"I have a family on this street, you know. I want to make sure they'll be safe." That wasn't the only part. Cloud had obviously been at the scene; he had run past Vits that evening towards the alley, and what's more...after the horrible roar, Evan had kept watch from a ground level window in his building. He had seen Tifa pass by, then Kisaragi. "Aren't you worried any, for your children?"

"...Not recently, no. It's been quiet lately. I still have the kids stay inside after dark if neither of us are with them, but we already did that before the incident..." She placed his finished meal on a plate, then turned around and landed it softly in front of Evan. Tifa gave him an appraising look, as if wanting to tell him something. "I suppose since there isn't an official investigation any more, there's no more fresh information, is there?"

Evan stabbed at his food but paused, unsure what to say to her. Tell her a little? "...There were some witnesses who saw people running to and from the scene."

Tifa put a hand to her chest, but quickly covered her surprised expression. "Oh...did they see who it was?" She turned around to put the pan in the sink, the water running.

Evan swallowed some of his lunch. "Two females, and someone matching Cloud's description...but he was on an overnight delivery, correct?"

"...Yeah." Tifa began scrubbing the pan, as if trying to ignore the conversation.

Evan left it at that for now, preferring to eat his meal while it was still hot. Tifa's cooking was something different but very good, combining tastes from Midgar and supposedly Nibelheim. Despite the region abounding with backwater villages that shared the same language, beliefs and culture, Tifa was one of the last of the Nibelese from the largest settlement of that area.

She looked back, a thoughtful expression on her face. Tifa came up to the counter, looking at the detective as he finished his lunch. "We did say we'd swap information, right? We did some sleuthing of our own on that person you mentioned..." She tapped her fingers against the counter, and took a small inhale of air. "Guz Lodeen. He worked for a small time mob boss that's working from the Sector 4 industrial area, right outside Midgar."

Evan gave the faintest of smiles, finishing his now lukewarm tea. _'More than I thought I'd get.'_ He laid some bills on the counter, a tip included for continued beneficial interactions in the future; He was still unsure what the three had to do with the monster rampage, but Guz's employer certainly made it seem like the men could have deserved it. Maybe. "Thank you, Tifa. I'll stay in contact."

He stood from the stool and walked away, hoping his spontaneous show sent a clear message; he knew they were at the scene. WRO wouldn't care at this point, but Evan sure did.

* * *

"Was it that damn detective again?" Cloud was clearly agitated, pacing his office. Evan had been very obviously shadowing him any time he stepped out of the bar, always downwind so he could catch his scent. Yuffie had been a great help, the WRO now off the case, but Townshend should have backed off after being paid for his time. Now, he was stinking up the bar.

Tifa nodded, her hands shaking slightly, Cloud catching anxiety emanating from her; Cloud frowned, thinking it may have been himself that triggered her reaction. Before he could speak, Tifa slowly brought her hand up to him, and opened her palm. Cloud's WRO access card was in her hand. "Evan left this, under the money for his lunch..." Tifa said.

Gently plucking his WRO card from her hand, Cloud put it up to his face, frowning deeper. He put it down, looking at Tifa, and crossed his arms as if in thought. "This card must've been in one of my pockets...What did he say?" His voice was slightly anxious.

Tifa told him about their discussion, the things Evan pointed out and how she gave the detective a lead that had nothing to do with them but the man whom Evan had given the name to. "After all, he gave us the lead...It wouldn't hurt to give us more space to breathe, would it?" Cloud agreed with her, the detective given another venue to bother, and more time for a proper excuse, if he could.

"Anyway...I got a hold of Vincent. Told him it was important."

Tifa put her hand to her cheek, swaying her hips a little. "You're going to tell him about your..."

Cloud nodded, scratching the back of his head. "I think he can help me...I don't know how I turn back, I just go to sleep and wake up in the morning. If I decide I need to make a move against that mob boss, if his underlings weren't just taking an opportunity to snatch Yuffie..." He looked into Tifa's eyes, his brows together. "I need to be able to sneak out not looking like a wolf."

"You'd still be naked afterwards..." Tifa gave a lopsided smile, remembering the morning Cloud woke her up, dirty and naked.

He scratched his chin, thinking. "That's a problem, yeah..."

"You ever think of getting a cloak, maybe?" Tifa seemed to be on to something.

Cloud nodded. "Maybe. Something that hides my body, my..." He pinched a lock of soft hair, giving a short chuckle.

Tifa nodded. "So, when are you meeting Vincent?"

The delivery boy looked at the clock on his desk. "About an hour, out in the wastes, near that cave I found. Guess I should get going..." He breathed in deeply and let out a noisy sigh, anxious. _'Why the hell am I anxious? Vincent can change into a damn demon and nobody blinks...'_ Pausing, Cloud looked into Tifa's ruby eyes, a question on his mind. "Hey Teef...How come you were afraid of me, but not Vincent? Galian Beast looks a lot like a werewolf, doesn't it?"

"I _was_ afraid! Don't you remember? The first time he did that I hid behind you, then I stayed on the opposite side of the camp from him for like a week...I finally came around to him after he came to my assistance after a monster ambushed me." She rolled her eyes, remembering her irrational reactions to the mysterious man; he wasn't even a real werewolf!

Cloud smiled, then gave a little laugh as he remembered how she hung tightly to his shoulders as she peeked behind him. "Yeah. I remember. You were freaking out."

Tifa shook her head, slightly embarrassed at the memories. She came up to Cloud and hugged him, sneaking a kiss on his cool cheek. "You're going to be late, reminiscing like this. Try and be back for dinner!"

* * *

Cloud leaned against Fenrir, far out from civilization. The cave was behind him, the area in front of him a moonscape of dust and rocks; here and there grass and flowers sprouted however, the planet recovering slowly from the vampiric embrace of mako energy. The warrior closed his eyes, waiting, listening, smelling. Everything was calm and quiet, the scent of dust tickling his nose as a soft wind picked the particles up. He hummed a little tune softly, the minutes winding away.

Suddenly he heard it, the familiar sound of a cape flapping softly in the breeze and boots grinding against pebbles and earth, metal chinking together. Cloud opened his eyes, looking towards the noise, a figure appearing behind a large rock cropping. The man wore a black suit and a long flowing red cloak that hid his mouth, and a red bandana held his long, thick raven black hair back. He raised his brow and nodded at Cloud in a silent greeting, approaching his friend.

Cloud nodded back, his face betraying his anxiety. Vincent seemed to frown, unsure why his friend called him to visit this place or why he looked so worried. Was something wrong with Tifa, with the children? Was something wrong with him again? Was there some trace of Sephiroth Cloud had sensed, that Vincent did not? So many possibilities that could bring concern. "Cloud. It's been a while. What did you need?"

Sighing, Cloud lifted himself from his bike, pacing in front of the red cloaked man. "Vincent. I..." He stopped pacing, and looked directly into Vincent's eyes, the man cocking his head gently to the side in a questioning manner. "...I need your help."

Vincent crossed his arms. "...My help? With what?"

Cloud licked his dry lips, looking downward. "I, um...I had an incident about three months ago."

"...An incident? With?"

Cloud looked upward towards Vincent's blood red eyes, his face tingling. He hated coming clean sometimes. "...With a werewolf."

A snort came from the tall man. "Do those even exist? I thought they were made up to scare children. So, you think you're a werewolf?"

Cloud gave his friend a frown. "I don't think I'm a werewolf, I _am_ a werewolf now...I need your help coming out of transformations."

Vincent raised his brows, surprised at his friend's blunt response. It wouldn't be like Cloud to make something up like this. "Now this is interesting. A werewolf? Did you tell Tifa yet?"

"...After a while." Vincent's stare pressed him to say more. Cloud explained the children spying on him, and Tifa coming in on one of their little talks. He showed his friend some of the older texts from Tifa, the one hoping he hadn't killed Yuffie. Vincent nodded.

"Hm. Can you change at will yet?"

"Not quite at will. I haven't done it outside of a Full Moon or after I was very angry."

Vincent frowned. "Have you killed anyone yet? Do you realize what you're doing when you change?"

"Only killed some assholes looking to kidnap and rape Yuffie, and I'm mostly in charge when I'm like that...it's just different. The way I have to think, the way I have to restrain myself around strangers...I can imprint those instincts to see people as part of my circle at least. Yuffie just had to come across me twice, if that's any evidence of my control." He let himself smile at the remark, the ninja sometimes getting on his last nerve on any other day.

Vincent actually let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "I see."

"I also can't...make out words very well. My name I understand, and a few simple words, but...a sentence and I'm lost." Cloud kicked the dust absently, feeling strangely serene talking about his lycanthropy to Vincent.

The ex-turk nodded. "Death Gigas is like that. Can't understand much, just who is friend and who is foe. Leaves much to be desired in intelligence. Your case seems a little more complicated than that, I believe." Vincent crossed his arms, gauntlet over his gloved arm. "I want you to change. Focus on the beast inside of you. Stay like that for a few minutes, and then I want you to clear your mind. Focus on the human inside of you."

Cloud turned his head, a blush on his face. "You want me to strip out naked here?"

Vincent put a hand to his forehead, sighing. "We went to that hot-spring in Wutai after Geostigma was eradicated, remember? Cid and Barret wouldn't stop their banter..." He looked up, pointing at Fenrir. "Strip behind your bike, if it's a problem. I don't really care what you do."

Cloud's toes curled in his boots as he bit his lip, looking at the bike. Vincent was a man who liked to get down to business and not pussyfoot around. "Right. Let me see if I can do this..." He turned around and walked behind his large bike, stripping himself of his clothing, shirt first. Vincent stood fifteen feet away, emotionless as always. Finally naked, Cloud sighed, looking over nervously at his friend, the skin down to his hips visible.

"Remember. Focus on that beast hiding inside of you. And when you're done...Focus on the human inside of you. You'll come back." Vincent nodded, waiting on his friend to show him what he'd become since they last met.

Cloud nodded, arms crossed. He crouched a little, clearing his mind of his anxiety and searching inside of his chest for that monster that likes to come out and play when he's too excited with anger, when a Full Moon blankets the landscape with light...His breaths slowly became pants, and as he focused he felt that familiar heat in his chest, the pulsing of his fangs coming in. He covered either side of his face with his arms, his legs buckling slightly. He let out a shaky breath, the beast about to overtake his body again, and this time on purpose.

He moaned as his muscles tensed up, the pain significantly reduced even as his claws pushed out of his fingers and his head reshaped, the hide and hair almost a tickle now as they grew. The noises made from crunching bones and reforming parts made it sound more uncomfortable than it actually was, though he still moaned even as his voice box warped into the low growls of a monstrous beast; the sensation was strange still. Cloud put his arms down, his panting slowed. He looked towards Vincent, the man as he was before, as if he didn't care what he had just seen. The beast twinged inside him, unsure of this new person.

 _ **"Vincent, friend. Pack."**_ Satisfied if disappointed, the instincts were settled in the case of the person standing in front of him. Cloud went to all fours, plodding past the bike and sitting in front of Vincent. The raven haired man got on one knee, investigating the werewolf silently. He said something, Cloud unsure what he could mean as he cocked his head. _**'What am I to do again?'**_ He shook his head, thinking. It finally came to him, the wolf snorting at his forgetfulness. He closed his eyes and focused, not feeling anything at first. Where was this human inside him? How to get to it?

Then he felt it. Unlike the wild beast, it was something steady, thinking, knowing. The person he always was. The master of the beast...he felt it, and his body felt almost like it was deflating as he changed back, the sensation closer to a tickle penetrating his mind and body as he reshaped into a man, sitting naked in the warm dust of the wastes. He opened up his blue eyes, blinking, and looked into Vincent's, the man still not showing emotion. Cloud sniffed the air, not picking up anything.

"Not bad. You'll have to be faster than that, if you need to be one shape or another on the fly, however. Rest a few minutes, and do it again."

"I don't know if I can..." His body felt achy.

Vincent took a bottle of a green fluid out of a side pouch, and handed it to the naked, spiky haired man. Stamina potion. "Drink it. By the time we get back to your place, you should know how to flow in and out quickly."

Cloud chugged back the thick fluid, a taste he never appreciated. "You're coming over for dinner?" His face winced from the taste and the sunshine in his eyes.

Vincent nodded.


	12. Evan's New Troubles

This chapter was a pain in the ass, but let's push forward! Probably gonna revise it later.

* * *

Shifting in and out throughout the afternoon was a tiresome ordeal that Vincent pressed the young werewolf into doing, the man having a supply of stamina potions from who knows where. Cloud thought the training almost amounted to torture, wondering if it was a good idea to call on Vincent after the fifth or sixth time he transformed and back.

"Is this really a good idea...I can't feel my toes." Cloud panted as he sipped yet another stamina potion, his face showing off long fangs and darkened eyes; it was troublesome to maintain the human facade after so many transformations in such a short period of time.

Vincent nodded, the thinnest of smiles forming above his red mantle. "...You're doing fine." His friend looked up at him, surprised by the encouragement; Vincent wasn't one for pep talk. Ever. Cloud was still unsure, but bared through it.

Then, after Vincent's crash course, Cloud found it much easier to change and back; the process started to take much less time and a manageable amount of pain that slowly dwindled. His body felt fluid, as if it could be one form or another at any moment he chose.

"...Is this how you feel, Vincent?" Cloud had already slid on his boxers, and was fidgeting with a pant leg that stubbornly twisted around. He leaned against Fenrir, and jammed his foot through, straightening it forcefully with an annoyed grimace.

Vincent put a hand to his chin, still covered in red fabric. "Maybe. My transformations don't have a second nature, like you have now. Remember what I said about Death Gigas? Knows friend from foe, but I wouldn't have to worry about trying to kill some strange child that happened along my path. Death Gigas isn't a hunter, only a vessel."

Cloud placed his usual shirt on, the collar grazing his chin. "What about Galian Beast?" He zipped two thirds up his chest.

"No. A lot more cunning, however. I feel in that one and Chaos, my faculties are most in place."

His friend grunted in response, his boots tied and his black sash secured. Cloud's pauldron hung securely from his shoulder, the wolf insignia ironic to him now. "Guess I still have a lot of taming to do. Ready?" He slid upon Fenrir's seat, goggles in his hands.

Arriving back home with Vincent in the early evening before the sun had set, he placed his bike in the garage, but decided to walk to the front door instead, desiring a few moments to enjoy the darkening sky. To the west a small crescent moon peaked above some of the taller buildings, Cloud sighing as he spotted it. He wondered to himself how such a thing so far away would have such a great pull on his body, wondering if it was some terrible magic that caused it, or if it was something similar to the tides on a beach.

Vincent was similarly quiet, the man standing upon the steps in front of the bar as they approached the entrance. Cloud considered him a moment, thinking about his help the last few hours. "Vincent. If you want to stay a few days, the guest bed isn't too terribly ruined by Yuffie's stay." He gave a small smile, the two both exhausted by and endeared to the excitable ninja.

Vincent chuckled. "Maybe a day or two, if that's fine. Perhaps I'll help with your investigation..." Cloud had told his friend what he knew so far of the situation involving the people he killed. Vincent acted distant most of the time, but after his time fighting Deepground he seemed a little more open, and he wouldn't pass an opportunity to help find out if Yuffie was seriously in danger.

Cloud nodded. "I could use the help." He opened the door to the bar, the two entering the warm, well lit business, greeting Tifa as she fixed drinks and food for customers.

* * *

 _'What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into now, Evan...'_ The detective had gotten to the industrial area mentioned by Tifa Lockhart during yesterday's lunch. The mob boss he was looking for was here according to some small bribes placed here and there; he operated a scrap refinery and went by the name of Valdt. Valdt was a private man, or so it seemed; he was apparently rarely seen outside. He seemed to not invest much in security, either, since there had been some lazy security outside, but not much else.

Stalking outside of the main building that supposedly held this minor mob boss during the day, he looked to a window to see if it was unlocked. Pulling it, it did not give. Sighing, Evan slowly went to the next one, feeling some sort of give to the metal. He pulled harder after looking this way and that, and the window gave with some resistance. Again he looked around, feeling eyes on him now. _'This place is giving me the creeps,'_ The detective thought, making sure the coast was clear inside Valdt's office.

Slowly, Evan moved through the open window, his hands reaching on the cool tiles of the floor as he pulled his legs through. Crouching, he looked about in the semi-lit room, the dim yellow light of the industrial area illuminating parts of the office. Rising, he snuck over to a desk standing in the back of the room, his hands slightly shaking at the level of bravado he had decided to show so late in the night. Quietly opening a drawer shining from the soft light, Evan searched about for any files or notes that could be of value to his case, placing them in his knapsack quickly; it was difficult to read most of them in the low light.

Hearing a rustling sound outside, he stared at the still locked door, frozen. If he stayed in here, he might find himself with a new pair of concrete shoes, or perhaps that was a healthy paranoia telling him his luck had almost run out. Quickly, quietly, he made his way to the open window, and he glanced about before quickly pushing himself out legs first, then booking it as fast as he could without alerting any unseen guards. He thought he heard the sound of footsteps behind him as he sprinted away from the office, his legs pushing him faster towards the tear in the chain-link fence that he entered through.

As silently as he could, Evan passed through the fence, his breath harsh and panicked. Turning to look back, he thought he'd seen some shadowy figure near the building he left; deciding that he had used enough luck in his daring caper, Evan left towards home, always watching his back. His footsteps sounded loud in the silence of the industrial area, the soft echos making the detective ever more paranoid. Was someone watching him? He turned around to nothing.

Reaching the residential area where his home awaited him, he stood at the precipice of his street, thinking a moment. The trip had taken twenty minutes by foot to get back, the extra spring in his step from his paranoia sending him home quicker. The quickest route was through Fira street, Evan stopping a moment and observing the dents still present on the walls from the massacre; a human shaped dent marred the metal of one wall, and a powerful stomp cracked some of the cheap concrete on the road where the remains of a hand and a tazer had been found. He still wasn't sure what could have created so much carnage, or what the hell Cloud's clothing everywhere meant. People can't turn into monsters, can they? Perhaps it was a summon gone wrong? Cloud was known to have the extraordinarily rare materia needed for the feat. What else could it possibly be?

Shaking his head, he continued along the road towards his home, his footsteps less noisy than before. Evan felt relaxed, more confident it was his paranoia working him up as he traveled home. The knapsack rested on his side, the contents possibly tantalizing to the young detective; he had held a hand to it as he made his way home just to make sure he didn't lose it. Almost to his front door, Evan froze; the sound of a footstep coming from the alley he had exited a few moments ago was clear to him.

Pressing his back against the wall, he stared towards the direction of the footstep, inching closer step by step. One hand was to the wall, the other slowly moved towards Evan's hip, tugging a silver pistol out of a leather holster he had hidden under his jacket. Despite his trepidation at killing someone during his excursion, he refused to allow his family to be harmed by some stupid mob if he could help it. Risks were taken, and when it came down to it he'd happily kill a mobster trailing him.

At the front of the alley he tensed, gun held steady in front of him. Closing his eyes a moment and slowly inhaling, he quickly pointed the gun into the darkness in front of him, greeted to the other side's light; there was no silhouettes of sinister men to terrorize him. Evan stood there a moment, waiting for anyone to peek on the other side of the alley back at him; his wait was greeted with silence. Looking back and forth, the detective booked it to his home and jammed his house key into the lock, tearing the door open and swiftly flinging himself through it. He ripped the keys out and locked the door, sliding down the wooden panel as he sighed heavily.

Tension lifted, Evan made his way towards his work desk with his prize, the knapsack now in his hands. The detective looked at the clock on the wall; it was five after four in the morning. He placed the leather package upon the cool wood of his desk and whipped himself around it and onto the familiar seat he worked upon for hours at any given time. Placing the crisp contents in front of him, Evan began to read through the papers, looking for any possible information on the mob boss that could connect him directly to Cloud, or to any plans he had for the underlings that were killed.

* * *

"Hello, Evan...Have you taken a fancy to my cooking?" Tifa's face was unreadable, though her voice held some anxiety; obviously he wasn't her favorite person this week. He had sat in his usual seat, the bar still empty before the trickle of lunch goers would come in to feast on her cuisine. He had some privacy with her, for a time.

He let out a laugh. "Honestly, I have. But you know that's not why I'm here..." He pushed the brim of his hat up, his bright blue, bloodshot eyes looking into Tifa's red orbs. "I'll take the lunch special, please. Coffee to drink." As the barmaid went about her business, Evan took out several important papers he had spent the morning looking through. He sometimes wondered why he spoke to her about all of this; his answer always went back to her assistance with his trip to Nibelheim, and his feeling that this mob leader might be the real problem. He can ignore Cloud for now; there were no connections besides Kisaragi.

"Still investigating?" Tifa inquired, her back to him. She had placed a pan on the stove, and was fixing Evan's coffee. Her voice was hiding a degree of annoyance.

He nodded tiredly, not remembering that she couldn't see him. "Valdt. That's the name of the mob boss...Apparently he might be a small fry compared to some of the Junon crime lords, but he's vicious." Tifa turned, placing his coffee on the counter next to him, looking at Evan expectantly. "You know Kisaragi personally, don't you?" He took a swig of the hot coffee, waking him up a little.

Tifa bit her lip and nodded. She turned around silently, preparing his meal.

"...And she was here for about a month...I see." Evan tapped a finger against the counter, thinking. He had seen her in the area, but hadn't thought much about it until this morning.

The woman looked back at him, frowning. "What does she have to do with this?"

"Seemed he was interested in her, had some plan to acquire money from the leader of Wutai, who he believed would pay for her release...Easier to get gil from a weak kingdom than the WRO...She was in that alleyway, wasn't she? They were trying to kidnap Kisaragi..." Some puzzle piece seemed to click in place for him.

Tifa went back to watching the food, obviously perturbed by Evan's words. "...So we were right..." She mumbled, barely audible.

The detective pretended he hadn't heard it. "I'm not just here to harass you, you know. There was something else I found out."

The woman placed Evan's food in front of him, still wearing a frown; she obviously didn't appreciate his meddling, but tolerated it for the sake of any fresh information. "What is it?"

Evan took another sip of his coffee, then passed the bartender a piece of paper that he'd taken from the office. She slowly took it, reading it as he ate his lunch. Tifa raised a brow, then her eyes went wide. She looked back at Evan, who gave a small snort. "A real gem, isn't he?"

"He deals in child trafficking?" Her voice had thinly disguised disgust.

The detective nodded. "Good money maker, besides the usual drugs and scrap refinement. He seems to be small time into it though, see?" He pointed at the paper. "Only a few children a month at the very most."

Tifa had an inscrutable look on her face, her eyes narrowed. She looked back at Evan, lifting the paper. "Do you mind if I...?"

"Go ahead." He finished his plate of food, then sipped his coffee. Evan looked up at Tifa, curious if she had any information herself.

Folding the paper and placing it in her pocket, she put her hands on the counter, looking at the detective. "If you're worried about Cloud, why do you discuss your investigation with me?"

He ignored earlier sentiments. "This is a bit more pressing right now." He pointed towards his remaining papers.

Tifa nodded slowly. She sighed, shaking her head. "We don't have any extra information just yet. I guess we owe you, for now."

Evan waved his hand while lifting himself from his seat, dismissing the thought. "Don't worry about it." He placed his money on the table, and lowering the brim of his hat again. "I'll update you when I find out more." Evan collected his papers, then gave a farewell nod to Tifa, who waved back as he left.

Walking back to his house, Evan couldn't shake that he may have uncovered more than he should know, about both the mob boss and the family that lived in Seventh Heaven. What could be hidden? He felt unsure whether this investigation could lead to trouble or not, and whether he should have just taken the payment from the WRO and just left it at that.

 _'Too late for regrets.'_

Looking down towards the ground, he hadn't noticed a strange, tall man stalking about his front door until he looked up from the sound of a loud sniff. Evan narrowed his eyes at the man, crossing his arms. The person staking out his home was big and burly, with short dirty blonde hair and a thick beard. His clothing was loose on his large frame, made of black dyed leathers from shoulder to boots, a black shirt under his jacket. The man looked up at the detective, sickly yellow-green eyes staring back. The man took a few steps forward.

"Oh...You're a sneaky one, aren't ya pup?" The man advanced on Evan in a few long steps, the menacing aura pouring off him. "Think you can act like nothin' happened, eh?" The detective tried to move back, but the burly man grabbed him by the shirt angrily, shaking him as he lifted him off the ground.

"...The hell are you?" Evan grunted out, kicking his feet."

The man grunted a laugh. "Won't matter soon enough to ya. I'm gonna-"

A click that sounded from a gun made it to the ears of both men, and they slowly turned to the source. A tall, lean man stood stoically nearby, his red cape covering half of his face and giving full attention to his unusually vivid red eyes. "You should let him go now." The gun was trained on the big, burly man.

The man grunted and thrust Evan to the ground, spitting on him. "This isn't over, little pup." He stomped away, watching the gunman as he retreated; there wasn't an ounce of emotion to be found on that pale face.

Evan groaned, getting up off the filthy ground. He kept his distance from the red caped man at first, then took a few steps forward as the tall man holstered his gun. "Thank you for that." He raised his hand towards the stoic gunman, his bright blue eyes familiar. "Evan Townshend."

The man slowly gave his good hand to the detective, giving a firm squeeze. "Vincent Valentine." He looked over towards the way the strange man escaped, and motioned with his head. "He'll be back, you know." He put his hand back to his side.

Evan nodded, swallowing. "I don't know who the hell that guy is, or how he found me."

Vincent let out a chuckle. "Seems he knows you, though. You should probably lay low if you can, until he forgets about you."

Evan shook his head. "Got a family. Hard to disappear for a bit with one in tow..."

"I see. Well then, just watch your back from now on, I suppose." Vincent paused, looking back towards Seventh Heaven. "If you'll excuse me, I must be going." He gave a slight bow, then walked towards the bar.

"Thanks again, Mr. Valentine." Evan hurriedly made his way into his house, then locked the door. He stared into his office, the room illuminated by a small light and a few rays from the sun. He sighed, making his way up the stairs; Kyrie and Vits wouldn't be home for a few hours still, and he needed sleep badly. Stomping through the living quarters he found himself staring at his clean bedroom and quilt covered bed.

The bed never looked so good! Evan left his clothing on save his hat and jacket, hanging them up quickly before eying the bed again. He crashed upon it, thinking of nothing as he drifted off into blissful oblivion as soon as his head reached the pillow with a small smile on his face.


	13. Enter the Tiger

Cloud tapped the fingers of his right hand upon his desk, agitated. He held a paper in his other hand, one he had reread several times already just to make sure he hadn't made a mistake; the paper detailed Valdt's illicit trafficking in drugs and children. What made the least amount of sense was that while he was finding buyers for children between here and Junon and seldom Kalm, the paper would make it seem as if there were a surplus of children; one month there might be four inventoried, but two or three would be sent out. He let out a disgusted snort as he reread it.

Where are these children going to, what are they for? Is there a slave trade for young bodies, for labor or worse? Cloud could see it in Junon at least. The children of Edge that had survived the nightmare of both Geostigma and Deepground seemingly had yet another threat to their lives, or to their freedom at least. He didn't care so much about the drug trade, so long as it had nothing to do with him or his family, but this was just another level of vileness and amorality that he wouldn't tolerate. _'And what of the left over children? What could he do with them? Do I even want to know?'_ He doubted he did.

Tifa sat on the bed with a worried face, and Vincent leaned against the wall of the office with his arms crossed. Cloud put the paper down, his cerulean eyes staring into her deep red orbs as he did so. "So Evan had a lot of papers he stole last night, huh..." He looked over towards his desk, and grabbed a set of keys. "He has information, and we have access." Cloud had tailed the detective after hearing the sound of a door shutting down the road in the early morning as he laid in bed thinking; he had wondered if Evan was planning to snoop on the bar in the middle of the night now as he peeked out of the window.

To Cloud's sleepy surprise, the detective had slowly made his way towards the alleys, and after quickly dressing he quietly, swiftly made his way to follow the foolhardy detective while his scented trail was still fresh. Evan had found a way into the compound, Cloud only having to kill a guard at the front of the office that heard the shuffling of the oblivious man by snapping his neck. After Evan had hurriedly left, he had entered for a few moments, looking for either any information or items of interest; the detective's eyesight failed him in locating the keys on the other side of the desk that Cloud found so easily. He then followed Evan, making sure he had gotten home safely despite his as of late annoyance with the meddler. The detective had been trouble, but he really didn't want something bad to happen to him.

"...So what do we do?" Tifa fidgeted with her fingers as she thought. This was a danger she hadn't known was so close by. How many orphans had disappeared because of this man and his little gang? It was only a matter of time before Marlene and Denzel would be targeted, she knew it. A sigh rattled out of her mouth, and she pinched the fabric of her black shorts. "...I want Barret here, we need him to help watch the children. Pick them up from school..." Tifa looked down and she noticed her hands trembling from worry.

Cloud sighed, nervous of what kind of encounter he'd have with his old friend as the moon slowly waxed over the city, if any; he had had a short talk with him that day during a delivery run where he asked if everything was okay, Cloud assuring him everyone was fine. Of course, he still yammered about the bloodbath near the bar; Barret scolded the spiky haired courier for being out on delivery during the night as a random beast ate people. Still, the more the merrier in regards to stopping this mess before anyone else was killed. Well, anyone not asking for it. He'd be the first to admit that he would kill every last one of Valdt's gang without mercy, but he wondered how much of it was him and how much of it was his lycanthropy.

He wondered if he even cared.

"Whatever keeps the kids safe," he said lowly. Tifa nodded, promising to call Barret tomorrow.

Vincent let out a cough, the couple looking up towards him. "There's also the case of that mysterious man who roughed up Evan," he said quietly. They nodded at him, remembering Vincent's account of the strange, musclebound man. Cloud had decided he would sniff out the stranger's scent later, after the bar had closed for the night. "He could be one of the mob's bigger fish."

"Right." Cloud looked towards a window, the sun already set for some time now. He was tired from the deliveries he did today; he had done several between Junon and Fort Condor, and then another from Under Junon to Kalm that he was alerted to as he visited the upper city. It was good money, but the back and forth earlier today was rather boring compared to his more random routes that took him to various locales like Costa Del Sol or Mideel. Lifting himself from his seat he placed the paper on the desk, then looked back at Tifa and Vincent. "I'll be right back. Gonna investigate." He left his office, heading towards his destination outside.

Looking about in the low light of the familiar street, he slowly made his way towards Evan's building, casually walking towards it as he passed by a stranger here and there, the road mostly clear at this hour. He sniffed the air as a small breeze blew over his face, an odd spiciness to it that seemed familiar. Where had he smelled it before? He blew air out of his nose to reset the organ, needing to focus on the task at hand instead of that curious smell. Almost there, he picked up another scent, one mingling with another.

Quietly, Cloud knelt down as if to tie his boot. The mingling scents were stronger here, down towards the ground; he did a slow inhale, one of the smells bringing a familiar heat to his chest that made him want to change. Stifling it quickly, Cloud blinked, unsure why his body reacted the way it did. He lifted himself back up, one hand to his hip and the other to his mouth, the warrior thinking. Evan's scent was there, and so were Kyrie's and Vits', but another scent was there, too. Was it part of Evan's, or the other man's? He couldn't differentiate yet. There were smells that obviously belonged to Evan or the strange man, but some were muddled. He sighed, turning on his heel to go back home, uncertain of the aged trail. Taking a few steps towards the bar, he heard paws and a dangerous, agitated growl behind him. He stopped in his tracks and swallowed.

Quickly turning back towards the noise, he was greeted to a familiar flame red beast, its fire tipped tail moving this way and that in an irritated fashion. The owner was furiously sniffing the doorstep to Evan's home, his mouth in a sneer as he inhaled and ears laid flat. Cloud's face paled as the beast's singular amber eye turned to him, the owner removing itself from the doorstep and sitting in front of Cloud. The blond man looked around, hoping no one watched; this would look very suspicious to most residents despite his occasional visits. Cloud rubbed his neck nervously, his eyes glowing in the night gloom. "N-Nanaki! What're you doing in Edge?" That could have came out friendlier...

Nanaki seemed to ignore Cloud's surprise. "Traveling again, friend...Looks like you might have trouble near your home." Nanaki leaned his head towards the doorway again, grumbling at the scent.

"Oh?" Cloud crossed his arms, attempting to look stoic.

"I know this smell...Vicious, evil man-beasts that relish the taste of human flesh on Full Moons, as they change into monsters. I've smelled them before, as I wandered the Planet." He looked back at Cloud, taking the man's nervousness and bit lip as a sign of his worry for his family. "It smells like one might live here..." Nanaki sniffed again, his good eye widening. "Two, actually."

Cloud thought a moment, finally realizing that the smell that brought that heat into his chest must have been the scent of another werewolf, his eyes widening in surprise. Another werewolf in Edge...How did he not get wind of it already? "...Werewolves?"

Nanaki nodded, swishing his tail back and forth. "They reproduce through scratches and bites. Have there been any strange disappearances lately? I had gotten wind of the attack in Edge as I went from place to place, overhearing other travelers." Cloud shook his head, Nanaki nodding in understanding. "They must be recent arrivals. You'll have to kill them before the next Full Moon, or they might terrorize the neighborhood."

Cloud had a sick feeling in the bottom of his gut. Nanaki seemed eager to hunt werewolves to the point he didn't realize that one of the scents was coming from his friend, right in front of him. He tensed his jaw, looking at his four legged friend as the beast rose from his sitting position, looking at Cloud expectantly. "Ah...Look, can we talk more at the bar? Feel kinda vulnerable out here..." They may be talking softly, but he wanted walls between him and any prying eyes and ears, especially in front of Evan's home.

The beast chuckled, giving an approving look. "That may be best." He pranced ahead of Cloud, the man quickly getting into a jog to catch up. Almost to the bar, Nanaki's pace went to a trot, and then stopped. He looked back at his two legged friend, a grim look on his face as his nose wiggled. Almost to the fiery beast, Cloud slowed down, stopping several feet from him as a breeze blew by.

"There's the smell of one...It goes to Tifa's bar?" His tail twitched. "That could be a problem. It might want the children..." He sniffed more, as if trying to find where it came from.

"Nanaki, I..." The small wind puffed by Cloud, hitting his friend with a face full of his scent. Nanaki took a deep inhale, his eye suddenly focusing on Cloud and dilating as he backed away, his back hairs bristling. Cloud put a hand out, hoping to calm him; the beast let out a small snarl.

"You..." His voice was accusatory and angry, his tail flickering back and forth as if he might leap on Cloud immediately. "To think..."

"Can we just talk, inside the bar? Everyone's safe." Cloud bit his upper lip nervously, not wanting a public tussle with his four legged friend. His eyes pleaded with the now enraged beast, the amber eye distrustful of his friend.

Nanaki let out a humorless laugh as he spoke in a low voice. "I've seen what those man-beasts have done with their vile cunning, Cloud. Should I believe this isn't a trap by you?" The eye narrowed accusingly.

Cloud gave Nanaki a hurt frown. "That's not who I am."

Nanaki snorted skeptically. "But who are you now?" Obviously Cloud's friend had seen enough werewolves as he traveled.

"The same person you knew before...Tifa and the kids are fine." Cloud felt insulted by the insinuation that he'd harm someone he cared about, no matter his own circumstances.

Nanaki gave an exasperated sigh, still eyeing the warrior. "I want to believe you, Cloud. But I've seen enough of what those _things_ do-"

The door to the bar opened up, the light attracting the attention of both Cloud and Nanaki. Tifa popped her head out, an inquiring look on her face that lit up when she saw her four legged friend. "Nanaki! What brings you here?" She smiled warmly at him.

The beast looked at her, jaw slightly opened, then back at Cloud, the man's arms crossed with an unreadable expression on his face. Nanaki's eye narrowed at him, then he turned and slowly made his way towards the bar entrance. Cloud followed behind him slowly, keeping his distance from the angry beast.

Nanaki took a glancing sniff of Tifa, her scent the same as always; Cloud hadn't infected her. Not yet, anyway. He wasn't sure how long Cloud had been a werewolf, or what his possible motives were. Tifa closed and locked the door as soon as Cloud had entered their home, and Nanaki kept himself between the couple protectively, his tail flicking this way and that. He looked up at the woman again. "Tifa...It's been too long."

She smiled again, nodding in agreement. She looked back at Cloud, who seemed to be in a defensive position with his arms crossed and a hurt look on his face. She frowned, then looked back at Nanaki. "...Were you two arguing out there?"

The beast stared up at her, then back towards Cloud, blinking. Cloud shifted his position closer, and Nanaki raised his tail threateningly as he narrowed his eye. Shaking his head, Cloud spoke. "She already knows what I am. I told you Tifa was fine."

Nanaki looked back at Tifa, his eye inquiring. "You are alright with this?"

Tifa let out a little sigh, a soft smile on her face. "Cloud is still Cloud."

* * *

"I see..." Nanaki sat in the office with the others, his tail flicking softly. He had heard of werewolves that could usurp the primal savagery of their natures, but they'd been extraordinarily rare. It seemed his good friend was one of the fortunate ones, winning the battle with the beast so far. Nanaki could relate slightly, having had to battle with his own troubles; live as a beast or live among intelligent beings that would return to the planet much sooner than he would. "I suppose you were fortunate to have such inquisitive children living with you."

Cloud gave his friend a nod and a small grin, grateful that he'd at least listen after calming down some, Nanaki intrigued by the tale told. "Woulda been nice if you told us about those things beforehand, you know."

Nanaki huffed. "As if you would have believed me. I only said something tonight because those scents were too close to the bar...I wouldn't allow werewolves to go about unnoticed at that point."

Vincent nodded. "I barely believed it myself, until Cloud showed me."

"All these things, right under our noses..." Tifa mumbled.

Cloud's mind went back to the original target: Valdt. He leaned, hands upon his knees, and a serious expression settled on his face as he looked at the red beast. "Nanaki...You said you smelled two werewolves. Obviously one was me, but...That was the first time I'd ever...smelled...another werewolf before."

Nanaki nodded, then cocked his head, thinking. "Yes. It was muddled with other scents, however." Cloud nodded, understanding all too well. "I can't tell if it went into that house, or if the scent is separate. It is too old."

Vincent spoke up. "There was a man bothering the detective that lives there. Perhaps the scent belongs to him? He kept calling Evan 'pup'..." He crossed his arms, becoming lost in thought.

Cloud was silent for a few moments. There was another werewolf on the loose, which could complicate things a lot if he worked for the mob. But why wasn't he around during the last Full Moon? Was he new? He yawned deeply, the day wearing on him. "Maybe we should get some sleep and pick things up later. It's been a long day."

Nanaki agreed, having spent most of the day traveling. "Do you mind if I sleep in the children's room? I'd like to keep them safe." Tifa nodded, taking him to their room. Cloud lifted himself off of his chair and looked at Vincent, wishing his friend a good night. The ex-Turk had agreed to stay until this werewolf business was taken care of, claiming he had nothing better to do. Cloud had let out a chuckle, then left for his bedroom.

The bedroom glowed with the light of the table lamps, the room comfortably kitschy here and there, the flower pattern quilt beckoning him to cover himself in its folds. Cloud began changing his clothing, searching the middle drawer for his pajama bottoms. The nights were getting a little warm, and he decided to go bare chested. He looked in the long mirror attached to the closed bedroom door, his image much the same as it always had been. Scars marred his torso here and there, two particularly deep ones under his heart.

Cloud touched them, the scars overlapping in such a way that they almost resembled a shooting star. They would tingle sometimes, and other times, rarely, he would have a phantom pain shoot through them and into the matching scars on his back. He grunted at the sensitivity of the tissue, the scars gifts from Sephiroth; one from his final day as an infantryman in Shinra's employ and the other from two years ago as he fought the bastard again. Tifa, too sported a scar along her chest, a reminder of that long ago day where they both lost everything.

Tifa came into the room and broke him out of his thoughts, apologizing for interrupting his examination. Cloud shook his head, as if she needed to apologize for coming into their room! The woman slowly came up to Cloud after shutting the door, examining his chest with him, her fingers on the shooting star scar. In turn, he unzipped Tifa's vest for her, slowly revealing a white scar that started above her left breast and continued unseen to below her right breast. She had been self conscious of it in the past, Cloud remembering the first time she had exposed herself to him she had blushed and trembled as it came into view. He softly touched it, remembering.

They had been beneath the Highwind, the night before they would go into the depths of the planet on what would have amounted to be a suicide mission to stop Sephiroth and avenge their hometown and everyone else that he had taken away from them. Cloud had tried to tell Tifa his feelings, but she had said to him that he didn't need words to tell her how he felt. So, he had kissed her instead. The approach had been awkward. He had slowly walked up to Tifa and wrapped his arms around her, then he had looked into her ruby eyes as she gazed into his mako tainted ones for a few moments, and then he had kissed her, slowly and uncertain.

He had gotten the hang of it quickly enough, losing himself in the taste of her mouth and the feel of her pressed against him. It had been an absolutely magical moment for him; he had finally gotten the affection of the girl he had a crush on since he was a young boy. The girl he had gone through hell for, Tifa, was his. They had continued at it, touching and kissing and embracing until Cloud had decided he wanted the pugilist's shirt gone from her chest. He had placed his bare hands underneath the fabric and Tifa had hesitated, clutching at her chest with red cheeks. Cloud had frowned.

 _"What's wrong, Tifa?"_ He had begun to wonder if he had been going far too fast.

She had looked away. _"I..."_

He had gently grasped Tifa's forearms as her voice drifted off, and stared into her eyes when she came to look at him again with a fearful glance. _"...Why are you trembling?"_ he had whispered gently.

 _"Cloud...you remember what happened..."_

His eyes had immediately lit up, understanding now. He had rubbed her wrists reassuringly, then pulled off his turtleneck sweater; Cloud then pointed a finger under his rib cage towards a deep, ugly puncture scar. _"There's one on my back, too."_

Tifa had studied it, putting her fingers over the scar. She hesitated, then slowly revealed her scar as well: The white line that went across her upper chest that she kept covered from everyone. Cloud had softly touched the line, remembering how he had picked her up and moved her before almost being killed by Sephiroth in that dark mako reactor. He had kissed the scar softly before he lifted his gaze, then gave her a kiss on her lips.

It was okay, they were both broken by that day; to Cloud the scar did nothing to change how beautiful Tifa was to him.

Cloud hummed as Tifa dressed for bed. "Do you think we'll have more scars before this is all over?" He looked up at her as he sat on the bed, a curious look on his face after the evocative session with his sweetheart.

Tifa slid a blue tank top over her head, and looked over towards Cloud. "I hope not. Especially not if it leads to..." Her red eyes were downcast as she moved to her side of the bed, sitting down and shutting off her light.

He nodded. "Yeah. Another werewolf..." Cloud leaned his cheek into his palm, thinking. "The kids...How much danger have they been in, and neither of us knew?"

Tifa shifted her legs under the covers, her head on her pillow. She looked towards the ceiling, rubbing a finger with her thumb. "I don't know. Maybe the gang only targeted orphans with no families..." The thought didn't make her feel any better. If they hadn't found Denzel he probably would have been eaten by now, if he lived long enough to survive Geostigma alone.

Cloud turned his lamp off, doing the same as Tifa had. He sighed, something new to compound his usually happy life. It took him forever with Tifa's help to finally allow himself to enjoy life, and he wasn't going to let some stupid werewolf, or his own lycanthropy, get in the way of it, of that he was certain.

Tifa scooted towards him, and he moved his arm so she could rest her head on his shoulder. His eyes looked upon her, and he gave a faint smile in the dark. He wasn't doing this alone. A thought crossed his mind a moment later, remembering Nanaki's original reaction to him, and he gave Tifa a squeeze, her attention turning to him. She looked at him with an inquiring look on her face, knowing intuitively that he had something to say.

"Do you think we can postpone calling Barret?" he said with a half smile.

Tifa whacked his bare chest playfully, refusing to answer his question.


	14. Payback

Evan paced worriedly in his office, Kyrie tapping her foot irritably as she leaned against the cluttered desk of the Mireille Detective Agency, the room lit low. Her boyfriend and coworker had been acting strangely since the monster attack in Edge, though she hadn't really noticed it that much as she had been busy with a small part time job on top of her detective duties for some extra money to buy Vits a nice birthday gift, the boy ill and sleeping above the two. Kyrie waited for Evan to speak, the man having paced for the last five minutes as he collected his thoughts.

"Will you just spill the beans already? It's getting late." She said quietly, clearly annoyed with the lack of information. "You were supposed to be off this case, anyway."

"But it was so close to home. Shouldn't I be worried?" He tilted his head, his black hair swaying away from his bright blue eyes.

"About Cloud, no. But I guess you bit off more than you could chew, didn't you?" She pointed her thumb towards the stack of papers stolen from Valdt's office, Evan having just told her about his caper that morning before beginning his pacing session.

The detective stopped pacing and sighed heavily. "Right. Look, some guy confronted me outside the building-"

"Are you telling me that you were _followed_?" Kyrie's voice was angry and stressed, and she stared at Evan with a look that made him extremely uncomfortable as he put his hands up to hush her.

"...It was strange. He came to me after I finished lunch, but if he had followed me after I escaped the office he would have had a better chance of doing whatever he wanted with me. I don't know how he could have found me, unless he wanted to attack me in broad daylight." Evan scratched his head, the sequence of events not making sense. The man could have attacked during the night easily.

Was he the one who made those footsteps earlier? No, they weren't heavy, like the stranger's.

Before Kyrie could reply, both of them heard a low growl from the door, the couple freezing. They both looked towards the door then towards each other, and Evan put a finger to his lips. Sneaking towards the entrance, he slowly made his way towards the door as muffled voices began to speak. Intrigued, the detective placed his ear on the door, straining to hear what he could.

"Smells like...lives here." The voice sounded like it was low to the ground. Smells? It continued on, catching words here and there...Man-beasts, human flesh...

"Werewolves?" Evan knew that voice.

"They reproduce...Bites...been any strange disappearances lately?" The voice was too muffled for a moment. "You'll have to kill them before...Full Moon...Terrorize..." Are they talking about him?

"Talk at the bar? ...Vulnerable out here." Definitely Cloud.

Evan sat there, leaning his ear on the wood of his door for some moments still. Kyrie tapped his shoulder, the man looking back at her with wide eyes searching for answers to questions opened up by the conversation by his doorstep. The woman crouched down next to him, holding his shoulder. "They're gone. Looked like it was Cloud Strife and his red dog friend, umm..."

"...Nanaki." Evan responded, remembering his name after meeting him properly some time ago; the beast saving them during their adventure to Nibelheim.

"Right. Watched them from between the blinds." She let out a little breathless sigh. "Did you catch what they were talking about?"

Evan bit his lip while looking away from his girlfriend, mulling over what he had heard. He looked back, licking his dried lips, the conversation about to become surreal. "Ah, they said they think werewolves live here."

Kyrie gave a skeptical look. "Are you sure you heard right? They don't exist."

Evan shrugged. "I'm sure, and if those two are having a serious discussion about it, I'm more willing to believe in them." He got up from the ground, a hand on his hip as he thought. "Nanaki asked if there were any disappearances and that they'd have to kill the...werewolves, before the next Full Moon."

The woman frowned. "Full Moon? When is that?"

"Not sure. Never had to keep track of it." He gave a nervous smile, as if the question was some sort of joke. Most people never kept up with the moon phases.

"Great. I guess we can look it up tomorrow...I need to personally thank Mr. Valentine myself for saving your ass, if he's still at the bar..." Kyrie thought a moment as she moved towards the stairs. "Wasn't he at the bar before, a couple of years ago?"

Evan nodded as he followed her upstairs. "Yeah, just never introduced himself. Never went to introduce myself to him, either."

"Seems that nut job gave you both a reason to do so." Evan nodded, desiring his bed to sleep on the new troubles brought about; this was all too much, one thing on top of the other. He ran his hand through his long locks, wondering yet again if he should have just taken the damned money and forgot everything. But no, his curiosity and his desire to make sure his family was safe trumped his better judgement. He plopped his head against the soft pillow, making a note to visit Tifa before the noon lunch rush again.

* * *

 _'Ting-ting!'_ Tifa looked back cheerfully towards the door, only to freeze at the sight of Evan strolling into her bar again. It's not that he wasn't a common sight at the bar in the past, but after all this werewolf fuss he was still one of the last people she wanted to see in the bar. Even if he did give out information, his presence just unnerved her until his curiosity would be sated. Hopefully, without revealing Cloud's little secret.

"Hi, Evan. Same as yesterday for you?" She got her pan ready, but the detective waved his hand dismissively. Tifa looked at him with an inquiring look, unsure what he wanted.

He paused a moment, as if he was unsure he wanted to ask. "Tifa. I need to speak to Cloud. Is he here?" His crystal blue eyes beseeched her assistance as he spoke deliberately, the woman suspicious.

She leaned her hands against the counter. "He's on delivery right now. I'm not sure when he'll be back. Do you want me to leave a message?"

"...No. I'll come back later to see him. Thank you, Tifa." Evan went to leave, Tifa letting a sigh out of her nose as he softly closed the door.

"Please don't, Evan..." She mumbled to herself. She really didn't need this. Tifa was already worried about the children and planned to close the bar to pick them up from school, the thought of another, much less friendly werewolf sending chills down her spine. Cloud was fine, he proved she could deal with this new life of his that he hadn't asked for. Another werewolf, one that could be lurking about and hunting...She put a hand up to her chest, the thought worrisome and terrifying.

 _'Need to get some silver...'_ Cloud won't like it, but he'll understand. She remembered the reaction to the metal Cloud had, just a small exposure burned his skin brown for a day.

Tifa went upstairs to her room, the bar quiet. The door already open, she went to her dresser, fishing through her jewelry box. Since she found out about Cloud, she had begun wearing gold-tone earrings so she wouldn't hurt him during acts of affection and passion, but she had kept her silver items just in case. Fishing out a delicate chain of silver, she placed it in her back pocket, a comfort until she can get something more suitable.

As she stood there thinking a minute, Tifa heard the door to the bar slam open and quick, strong footsteps running in. She quickly charged down the hallway, the silver wrapped around her hands like a delicate ribbon, the footsteps charging up the steps. As she came to the staircase a head popped into view, yelling her name, and her silvered fist connected with it, the person it had connected with tumbling down the steps with a loud grunt, their hat falling off.

Tifa breathed heavily for a few moments, her chest rising and lowering shakily. She looked over at the hat, the felt black object with a little pin on it familiar. Picking it up, her eyes went wide, and she looked down the stairs at a bleeding, moaning Evan, his hair splayed over his face. As she pounded down the steps, she called out to the barely conscious man, wondering his reasons for such a reckless action in the home of two seasoned warriors. "Evan! Why did you do that, I could have killed you-"

As she reached down in an attempt to help him up, he grabbed Tifa by the shoulder, a desperate look on his face that made the woman forget about all the meddling and discomfort he'd caused in the last three weeks. "Tifa...I...Vits!"

"Vits? What's wrong with him?" Tifa helped bring the detective up after he stumbled some here and there. She took him to the front of the bar, placing him in a seat and steadying his balance.

Evan put a hand to his head, wincing. "He was home, sick...Someone took him while I was gone, Tifa. I..."

Tifa's eyes widened as she got a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a kitchen towel. She put it up to his injured face gently, Evan thanking her as she shook her head. No wonder he did something so rash. _'Does he actually trust us, deep down? To help?'_ Who else could he turn to? "I'm calling Cloud."

Evan let out a muffled "Thank you" as he rested his head on his folded arm, the coolness of the bag of peas keeping the swelling down. As Tifa called her boyfriend, he kicked himself mentally for charging into the bar like a mad chocobo. But Vits was missing, the papers were missing, and there were...claw marks on the walls.

Tifa listened to the familiar jingle of the phone, hoping Cloud would pick up. Nothing. She called again, and again nothing. She sighed, figuring he was on the road, but he would eventually feel the vibration hopefully. Once more, she called his number, this time hearing a click as he accepted the call.

"...Tifa?"

"Cloud! You finally answered!" She chimed.

She heard a light chuckle on the other side. "Was heading back towards Edge to pick up another delivery. Is everything okay?"

Looking over at the groaning Evan, she shook her head despite no one seeing it. "No, it's not."

A pause. "What's wrong?" His voice had become serious.

"Evan came back to the bar..." She heard a sigh hissing out of Cloud's mouth-"he said someone kidnapped Vits."

"Give me twenty minutes. I'll be home...Close the bar." Click.

Tifa looked back over at Evan, and came to sit next to him at the counter after putting out a closed sign and locking the door. Nanaki and Vincent had been out; they could use the unlocked garage to enter whenever they got back. She held the bag over his cheek, letting him rest his hand finally. "You must take protecting your family seriously, huh..."

Evan gave a weak nod of his resting head, moving it slightly to look at Tifa with a single eye. "It seems you do, too."

* * *

Fenrir roared through the streets of Edge, Cloud pushing as quickly as he could without crushing pedestrians on his way back to the bar. Finally making it to his street, he pulled into the garage after the door slowly opened, and jogged his way to the door. Swiftly opening it, he saw Tifa patting an injured Evan; The woman looked up to Cloud and bounded over to him, embracing him. As he returned the affections he felt a familiar burning sting on his shoulder, Tifa quickly removing her hand from his flesh as he let out a hushed grunt; she had forgotten to take off the silver chain.

"Sorry," she whispered in his ear before he tried to jerk away. "forgot to take it off."

"Why were you wearing it?" He whispered back, frowning. Tifa told him softly, and he nodded grimly. Still hurt like hell, that damned metal. He looked towards Evan, the man oblivious to the couple's whispered chatter. "What happened to him?"

"I, um...knocked him down the stairs...He barged into the bar and up the stairs in a fit of hysterics, and I didn't know it was him..." She fussed with her fingers, embarrassed.

Cloud snorted, slightly amused. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't wanted to punch him lately out of irritation. His mind went back to the kidnapped child; Cloud made his way to the other side of the counter, shaking Evan gently to get his attention. The detective stirred, his worried eyes staring into Cloud's; the warrior couldn't help but feel sorry for him now, especially with half his face swelling. "What happened, Evan?"

Evan bit his lip, not wanting to come clean. Cloud let out a sniffle, then relaxing somewhat as he stared back at him. He looked at Tifa, the concerned look on her face, then back to Cloud; if he wanted their help he was going to have to tell them everything. "Look. I...I heard part of your conversation last night with your friend..."

Cloud's face paled, his eyes wide. "You did, huh...?" He took a step back, wondering if his secret was spilt because of that argument last night.

"Yes. Kyrie and I heard a growl at the door, then we heard talking. Werewolves, right? In Edge?" If Evan knew anything about Cloud, his face wasn't showing it.

The werewolf nodded slowly, swallowing.

Evan continued. "I think one kidnapped Vits. There were claw marks on the walls..."

Tifa spoke up as she dialed a number on her phone. "Was there any notes, or anything?"

"No. No blood either, so I assume Vits is safe for now. Look, we can't wait much longer, what if it eats him, or tries to change him?" Evan looked terrified at either prospect, Cloud understanding the worry all too well.

"Look. we'll ask Nanaki to find the scent trail. Tifa's gonna call our friends that were staying with us, for now, take me to your place." He held his gloved hand out to Evan, the detective taking it after a moment. They quickly left the bar, heading for the detective agency quickly.

* * *

Entering the house, the door was partially off its hinges, hanging limply as they came in, and Cloud smelt a furry, dusty scent that made him exert effort to push down the heat attempting to rage in his chest, taking a long, calming breath. It would be so easy to just change right here and find that little challenger to his territory-

"Hey, Cloud. Are you alright?" Evan held a concerned look on his face as he stood by his office desk, his companion making a strange face.

Cloud blinked at him as he snapped out of his thoughts, then brought a hand to his face, covering his mouth. "Sorry. Allergies." He mumbled.

Evan raised a brow, then went up the stairs, creaking here and there. "A warrior like you has allergies? Well..."

"Mhm." Cloud touched his elongated fangs with his tongue, checking them; a little blood could be tasted. He needed to look through this house quick, or he was going to blow his cover; the urge was getting to him. They both entered the kitchen, claw marks marring the walls and nail scratches on the floor; they continued to Vits room, Cloud attempting to ignore the werewolf signs in what he considered his territory.

Vits' room showed signs of a small fight near the bed and on the dresser with an over turned lamp, but it didn't seem like there had been much of a fight. Cloud sniffed the air cautiously, a familiar tingle hitting his nose, a smell similar to ozone- the werewolf used materia. The window was open, leading to the streets below; Cloud would follow the trail with Nanaki.

"Evan..I think the kidnapper used materia, can you smell the ozone? Probably a sleep spell. My guess is he leaped out of the window and to where ever he was going to take Vits." He looked back at the detective, his face grim.

Evan looked down, damning himself for not being there to protect the child. Hadn't he been through enough already? This was his fault for meddling. Cloud made his way to the doorway from the other side of the room. "Guess you'll sniff him out, right?" The warrior froze, slowly looking back at the detective. "What? I mean with Nanaki...He can find the trail, right?" Evan raised a brow, slightly nervous at the look bored into him by those strange, blue eyes.

The delivery boy nodded, relaxing. "Yeah. He'll find them. Now let's get out of here before I have an allergy attack, it seems I'm allergic to...werewolves." Especially Vits room, the smells were creating a frenzy in his chest. The only thing stopping him was Evan's presence, and he supposed he could thank him for that.

Evan chuckled, following Cloud downstairs. "An allergy to werewolves...How novel."


	15. Who I Choose to Be

**A/N: Woooo, I fixed this up good I think.**

* * *

Nanaki trotted towards Evan's house, alerted to the troubles on Cloud's street by Tifa. Vincent strolled closely behind, and the red beast soon picked up the smell of the foreign werewolf; both ignored the looks of bystanders surprised by the strange duo. He came up to the ruined door just as Cloud and Evan made their way out of the house, the detective sporting a hopeful look as Nanaki came into view, and Cloud stoically nodding as he caught his breath. He had a strange look on his face as he moved his hand away. Nanaki looked up at them, the scent of the hostile werewolf already potent to him. "The child was taken?"

Evan nodded as he pointed towards the alley. "Looks like he jumped from the bedroom window with Vits."

Nanaki nodded back, then began to make his way towards the alley swiftly, his two legged companions trailing behind him. Sniffing below the window, he caught the scent of the child and followed the two mingled scents. The heavy scent of the werewolf was easy to follow when it was so fresh, his nose leading them closer to the slums' outskirts at the edge of the new city.

Cloud, too, was picking up the scent, but he wished he wasn't. It felt like the smell was everywhere, tempting him to chase down the intruder that bothered the serenity of his neighborhood. He took to flanking his friends, attempting to avoid the scent; it made him want to rip out of his skin and charge into the offender's den. Vincent glanced at him, and the warrior looked back. Understand passed between them, and the unspoken words gave Cloud the conviction to not do something brash: Focus on the human, not the beast, no matter how hard it was.

After some wandering they had come to the edge of the slums, an area still inhabited in certain areas by the poorest of the poor, the druggies, and the criminals. Meandering through the empty streets, the red beast came to a stop as he began searching out the scent in the filthy dirt. Evan bit the joint of his index finger, looking about the familiar area. He touched Cloud's arm, the spiky haired man snapping his attention to him as he placed a hand on his sword; they both seemed to sense the same thing. Vincent, too, had taken out his gun. He mumbled something to Nanaki, the beast nodding and continuing his search.

A gunshot rang out, hitting Cloud's sword as he came to deflect it. The werewolf narrowed his eyes, searching for whomever tried their luck with him. Another gunshot was heard followed by a grunt as Vincent found and shot the assailant. The swordsman looked about, seeing a sneaking assassin lurking to his left. Bloodlust welled up in him, and he flashed sharp teeth at his new target, the gangster faltering at the sight. _'Just a taste...'_ Cloud charged at the man, quickly closing the distance between them and lopping his head off with the First Tsurugi. Blood gushed from the neck and airborne head. Another man peeked out, brandishing a knife, and he lost his head, too. These bandits were no match for a Jenova and mako enhanced werewolf, Cloud thought, and when he found their ringleader, he'd stand no chance, either.

"I think I've found it," Nanaki mumbled as the others watched the area carefully. Vincent shot off hid gun at another would-be sniper, the sound ringing through the slums. Nanaki trotted off, and the other three took the rear. Cloud thought he heard the sound of a vehicle approaching, but moved on with his friends since there was no time to investigate. He thirsted for more blood from these pathetic cretins. Evan took to the back, watching for signs of movement; he knew he wasn't as good as the warriors he was working with but he would try to pull his weight as they assisted with Vits' rescue.

Deeper into the slums they went, Vincent popping off an assailant here or there, and Evan even getting a lucky shot at someone trying to stab him in the leg. He figured this misadventure was helping him get better at using a pistol at the very least. Nanaki continued to sniff, leading them to a locked gate that entered the now unused sewer system. Cloud moved forward and shook the reinforced metal gate hard, but it didn't budge as much as he'd like. "Damn..." The keys! There must have been another pair...

Vincent looked at the obstacle, then back at Evan, thinking. He let out a small chuckle, then raised an arm towards the detective, the man confused at his comrade's attention on him. "...Can you keep a little secret?"

Evan looked at the gunman curiously, wondering what it had to do with the troublesome lock. He then nodded, wondering if this secret would quicken their mission at all. Vincent saved him from that nut-job, wouldn't it be fair? "If I have to."

Vincent nodded approvingly before walking towards the gate. "Good. No screaming, please." Pausing in front of the gate, he closed his blood red eyes and focused on something inside him. Immediately he disappeared in a flash of purple light, replaced by a giant hulking monster that growled low as it appeared with skin grey and pale hair, dull metal bracers clinging to the dead looking flesh. It grabbed the bars of the gate, pulling on them with inhuman strength.

Evan quickly backed away, grabbed by the wrist when Cloud smelled the pure terror coming from his body. He almost screamed, and the blond swordsman hushed him. "Relax. It's just Vincent."

"You knew about this?" Evan squeaked, looking back between the two as the giant monster made gains against the metal bars.

Cloud snorted. "Welcome to the club."

A popping noise reached their ears, then another. Death Gigas wrenched the bars towards him and they finally came loose, giving enough room for the party to enter. A purple light flashed and a reformed Vincent reappeared before giving a nod to his comrades. "Let's hurry."

The group continued down the almost dry sewers, Nanaki leading them down the tunnel. Cloud and Vincent swore they heard footsteps behind them, but couldn't find any pursuers and decided to focus on what was in front of them for the time being. They came across a turn, and it lead downward. Shouts were heard below. This must be the werewolf's lair, they decided.

"I'll keep ya alive just long enough. Soft meat tastes best soaked in fear, kid." Hideous laughter erupted from the unseen man.

Evan's eyes widened, and he stopped the group. "That's the voice of the guy that attacked me."

"Is that so?" Vincent inquired. He remembered the man's ugly face. The voice continued below, speaking to other unseen people. "That it is..."

Evan nodded, then looked towards Nanaki and Cloud. "When I...overheard you two," he whispered, "didn't you say there were two werewolves? Shouldn't we look out for another that could ambush us?"

The duo blinked, and Nanaki decided to speak up. "There is no indication that there are more werewolves in the sewer," he said somewhat nervously.

Evan looked at him, then slowly nodded despite his doubt. As he was about to say something else, he begun to hear crying. The group continued further. Down they went, walking softly and slowly towards their goal. Finally reaching a rusted metal door, Evan tried it, and found it unlocked. Was the werewolf waiting for them? Taking a deep breath he opened it, and the sight of a grimy room filled with children caged in the walls' cells greeted him; the floor was wooden and scarred and stained, the walls a pasty green splattered with ugly black here and there and illuminated with floodlights.

In front of the party at the back of the room, with his arms crossed and wearing a flowing, billowing black cloak covered with loosened belts here and there, was the large man that had accosted Evan the other day. The werewolf raised his hands as if to mockingly greet him, the sounds of moaning and crying children a cacophony sweet to the monster's ears. "Well, now. If it isn't the pup that tried to uncover my operations!"

Evan cocked his head. "...You're Valdt?"

The burly man nodded, and his grin revealed vile, pointed teeth. "Didn't know what ya're gettin' into, huh ya little shit? This is my territory to hunt, not yours. Been here since after Meteorfall." Evan's eyes narrowed, though he was a little uncertain what he was talking about. Valdt snorted at the man's reaction, pointing an accusing finger at him. "I can smell ya, wolfy. Do yer friends know yet?" Evan still had no idea what he was talking about. Did Valdt think _he_ was a werewolf?

Cloud stood behind the detective, eyeing Valdt and breathing heavily. His shaking hand was on the hilt of his sword. The mob leader laughed, disregarding the real threat. "This is between me and the little wolf pup, here. I'll take on the rest of you after I'm done with him...But if you insist, I'll have yeh softened up a bit, first!" The werewolf pulled a rusty lever on the side of a support pillar, releasing captured, snarling monsters into the room from above. The party tensed, hearing screeches in front of them and from behind them; the pitter-patter of feet could be heard quickly coming down the curving pathway. They were about the same in number as the party, sickly green claws and soulless black eyes that shined in the dim light.

The group went into position. Nanaki lunged at the monster that came through the door and pinned it on the ground as it tried to claw the red beast. Nanaki mauled it as it struggled helplessly. Vincent took to shooting at another, the beast's carapace eventually giving way to his and Evan's bullets. Vincent shook his head at the weak challenge while Evan swung his pistol about in case any tried to ambush him. Cloud immediately split one of the monsters in half as it approached, terribly unimpressed by the offering. He took a few steps towards the hooded werewolf, First Tsurugi held in his hand.

"Prepare yerself, pup..." Valdt tensed, and the party heard the sickening sound of snapping bones and reforming flesh as the sickly eyed mob boss quickly shifted into a drooling, sneering, blond-furred beast that quickly shook off its robe and growled some inhuman laughter. The werewolf sprinted towards Evan while he was distracted by one of the few monsters left alive, his maw opening and ready to snap at his head; the detective turned and failed to shoot the beast as his hideous jaws came to close—

—A giant shuriken pieced the beast's mouth, and blood splattered all over the floor as the creature screeched. "That's for try'na kidnap me, you pug-faced poodle!" Yuffie retrieved her weapon and sliced at the monster's nose, happily getting revenge for his devious plot. Valdt backed away in surprise, then tried to swipe at the quick-footed ninja. He failed; she dodged the attack with a whoop and cut through the palm of his paw. "Nyaaaa!"

Cloud was unimpressed with this small time hustler and his pets. "You know, you're a lot more trouble than you think you're worth, Valdt." After the beast recovered from the ninja's attack, he turned and squinted his eyes at the swordsman, then sniffed the air. Those sickly yellow-green eyes widened, and he bared his teeth, growling louder and louder. Cloud merely smiled, flashing sharp teeth back at him while lifting his large sword. He motioned with his head to bring it on, and he and the beast both charged each other.

As the others fought off the dwindling supply of monsters, Cloud played with the furious werewolf, the heat in his chest growing despite not having a need to fight something so beneath him with teeth and claws. Yet, he had not a care this was so, enjoying his time toying with the monster; he would defeat the bastard by sword or claw regardless. "All those children you ate..." Cloud sliced into a furry leg, and the creature howled in pain as his flesh was flayed. "Trying to hurt _my_ friends..." He cut an arm to the bone, and blood splattered on both contestants. Cloud's eyes dilated as the crimson fountain cascaded from his opponent's flesh. "Kidnapping Evan's kid—"

In a desperate bid Valdt took the other werewolf off guard, using his other arm to backhand him into the wall hard enough to shake pebbles of concrete loose. Cloud fell onto his abdomen, silent as little bits of rubble fell on to his back. His sword clattered to the ground nearby, scraping the floor further. His foot twitched and one of his hands curled up.

Veldt ignored the gunshots coming towards him and deflected with his bad arm the giant shuriken of the ninja, the weapon clattering to the ground as he made his way towards the challenger. As he was about to put his claws through the meddling rival wolf, a glittering ribbon of metal met with one of his eyes and he recoiled. Valdt let out a howl of pain that pierced the air as black smoke arose from the burning eye. He scraped at the silver as his flesh hissed, and he backed away in a panic.

"Cloud!" A melodious, terrified voice chimed through the grim dungeon. The other warriors continued their attack on the injured werewolf as Tifa came to rescue Cloud; she eyed Valdt warily as the others fought. Her hands were shaking and her teeth were tightly clenched from the fear she felt from being so close to a hostile werewolf. She told herself the others would keep that monster away as she helped Cloud. It wasn't going to get any closer, she had to believe in them.

Looking up from his now crouched position, Cloud saw Tifa, her face full of growing concern as she rubbed his back. "Teef..." he gently growled as he panted, wondering if he was losing the fight with his bestial side. He wanted to change oh-so badly and prove himself to that monster before ripping out its throat. What was stopping him? Not Evan this time, he could care less if the whole world saw him at this point. He looked Tifa in the eye, asking her without words if he should or not. Shouldn't his mate have some say? But this was his fight, wasn't it?

"Cloud...calm down, please..." His face was almost bestial at this point, his ears pointing and pulling up, his teeth sharp and mouth stretching a little, and dark, deep-set circles ringing his clouded blue eyes, the sclerae already black. He still looked at her, and he was unsure if he could come back from this. He was moments away from changing fully, his fingers were swelling in his gloves and ready to push his claws out through the leather. In a last minute bid to soothe him Tifa ran her fingers through his thickening, soft hair, and he closed his eyes and stilled a moment as the sensation of her touch on his head washed over him and sent a calming chill down his spine. His panting turned into deep, calm breaths, and the heat in his chest slowly dulled. He opened his eyes again and gazed at Tifa, a serene smile growing on his face as his features slowly became more human again.

"I'll be okay, Tifa...Thank you." She helped pick him up, the spiky haired warrior letting out a huff after rising to his feet. They both watched as the werewolf retreated through a door on the other side of the room while the others gave chase. Evan was coming towards the couple, his emptied gun limp in his hand. He stopped in front of them with a look of uncertainty on his face. Cloud looked back at Tifa, then met Evan's gaze. "Do you think you and Tifa could find a way to open these cells?" The children had been quiet throughout the battle as they watched. Their freedom had been on the line. A little voice chimed from one of the cells, and a hand waved at the three.

"Evan!" It was Vits. The detective ran towards the child's prison, holding his hand and checking him over the best he could as he spoke unheard words to him. Tifa pulled out a set of keys with a smile; Cloud copied the gesture as he looked at her.

"I'm gonna finish that freak off." Tifa nodded, and Cloud took off towards the opposite end of the room as she fished out a key, trying them out one by one until she heard a click from the grimy lock. Vits ran out, the twelve year old hugging Evan by the neck with tears running down his cheeks. Tifa went to the other cells, slowly releasing the terrorized children as the locks gave way to her key set. They cried and cheered, finally free from this dungeon of nightmares that they were forced to live in, away from the sunlight and fresh air.

One dirt covered child that looked to be about Denzel's age was shaking terribly in a now unlocked cell by himself, and Tifa picked up the little boy from the corner and rubbed his back gently. His shivering turned into heaves as he began to cry and whisper into Tifa's ear.

"My little sister, I couldn't keep her safe." Tifa hushed the child gently, still rubbing his back.

* * *

Cloud charged through the tunnel, sniffing out his prey as he came to a split in the tunnel. He easily found the scent. He charged past Yuffie; the young woman had gotten a little lost in the dark tunnels and gave Cloud a "Hey!" as he blew past. The werewolf's trail grew stronger, and Cloud knew he'd meet Valdt soon. The vile beast couldn't have gotten far with those injuries, even if werewolves were resistant to many attacks. Nothing would stop First Tsurugi from severing his head from his body.

The sound of gunshots and a familiar roar reached his ears, and he picked up his pace. Coming to a large drainage room, he saw Nanaki, Vincent and Valdt in a dance of death, both parties at an impasse at the moment. Valdt had gained some renewed movement in his severely injured arm, hinting at the healing that can occur on normal injuries. Vincent leaped backwards as the monster lurched towards him before shooting the monster's bad shoulder. Nanaki somersaulted and pushed off the beast, knocking it down. Valdt snarled defiantly at the red-furred creature.

Cloud walked up to Valdt, sword in hand and his blue eyes glowing in the dark. They were staring directly into the other werewolf's eyes. "This ends now. After everything you did, this is a better death than you deserve." His voice was calm and sure, much like Cloud was at that moment.

The werewolf seemed to revert slightly, just enough to grumble a response. _**"Yer talkin' like yer somethin' better n' me? N' what about yerself? What deeds have you done?"**_ The voice was barely desperate, more a challenge towards his rival.

The spiky haired swordsman lifted First Tsurugi. "I didn't get to choose to become...this. But you can be damned sure it's not gonna stop me from being who I always was!" He arced the heavy sword effortlessly downward until it contacted with the raging beast's neck, severing the head and releasing a flood of dark blood into the room.

"So ends a demon in the slums..." Nanaki mumbled, looking down at the corpse and then looking up towards his friend. "We should get back, the surviving children will need us all to find their way back to the surface."

Vincent nodded as he shoved a lower limb of the beast with a pointed boot, his face neutral as always. "I think I'm going to purchase silver bullets, just in case I have to deal with a werewolf again. I prefer my targets to not be ammo sponges..."

Cloud chuckled humorlessly, at a loss for words. The werewolf that kidnapped children to eat them and traffic them was dead. Were the others he delivered to werewolves too? Cloud shuddered at the thought. Were there any like him out there? Maybe he'd find out some day, but for now he understood why werewolves should be feared.

"Hey!" An annoyed, familiar voice rang out in the distance. "I can't see, guys! I'm lost! Hellllooooooo?!"

They all sighed. Yuffie.


	16. A Warm Zephyr

Tifa patted the child's back, cooing to him. "It's alright...Cloud's gonna make that monster pay for what he did..."

"...Cloud?" The child hiccuped between sobs.

Tifa nodded, still holding the boy. "Yeah. He beats up bad guys."

Evan walked over to Tifa as she held her gentle conversation with the young child, holding Vits' hand firmly, wanting him to stay safe and close to him. Vits gave out a little sniffle, still ill but running off adrenaline and remnant fears. "We freed these kids, but how are we going to transport them all?"

Tifa turned to Evan, her face softer than in past weeks to the detective. "Yuffie and I drove a WRO vehicle here to catch up to you guys. There should be enough room for them in the back."

Evan frowned, though relieved at the news. "You didn't have any trouble from Valdt's gang, did you?" Even now, the remnants of his little mob could be on their way here. He scratched his cheek.

She shook her head. "Whatever you guys didn't get to, Yuffie certainly did. I didn't know she was such a good shot with a rifle..." Cloud must have showed her how to use it properly, now that she thought about it; he was ex-Shinra infantry after all.

"Guess we'll have to wait until they get back to find our way to the entrance." Tifa nodded, and Evan went to explore the room, Vits covering his face with the side of the detective's jacket to blanket out the sights in the room. He looked towards a filthy trashcan in the back corner of the room, morbidly curious. Swallowing, Evan slowly opened it, peeking inside to a trove of filthy, small bones, greasy and littered with desiccated flesh and broken or crushed here and there. He closed it again, his face pale. The WRO was going to have to go through those.

He sighed heavily. There was still another werewolf on the loose, and after what he had seen this afternoon, only one possible suspect. He kept his opinions to himself however, until he could be absolutely certain it was them, not wanting to sour the mood after saving so many lives today.

But how many were still possibly at risk? Evan sighed, thinking back to what that monster said; He'd been here for four years, preying on children, treating them like they were less than nothing. Would this happen again? He hoped not.

He was soon greeted by the sound of incoming footsteps and a chirpy voice, followed by a low, grumpy voice. Soon Cloud and his party of friends entered the room, the man's face unreadable as he came into view. He looked towards Evan and then Vits for a moment; he looked back up at the detective and gave him a nod. Before Evan could say anything he went off towards Tifa, the woman conversing with him as he approached.

Looks like things would be alright for now, at least. 

* * *

"You sure about this, Teef?" Cloud inquired to his lover, a concerned look on his face as the large group followed Nanaki to the entrance. The children had delighted in the fire red beast, and despite himself he enjoyed their attention and little pets.

Tifa still held the boy, who had fallen asleep in her arms. "Yeah. I...I think he should have a home. Just like Denzel and Marlene." Her eyes seemed watery, but her voice stayed strong as she whispered close to Cloud. "He lost his sister in front of his eyes to Valdt. Maybe it's not a good idea, but...It feels like the right thing to do, if he's alone."

Cloud hummed, thinking. Another kid, huh? "I'm just worried about..."

She nodded. "It'll be okay."

"Hey! I see the entrance! Ohmigawd I can't wait to smell fresh air again!" Yuffie charged up to the front of the group, car keys jingling in her hands to the beat of her steps. A few children cheered, and the group picked up their pace, wanting to put the nightmare dungeon behind them.

Reaching the entrance, Cloud and Vincent assisted the smaller children leaving the broken gate, taking care they didn't scratch themselves on the sharp edges of the metal. Yuffie happily jammed the keys into the ignition, turning it over and whooping at the sound of the engine starting up much like a kid. She idled the truck as the back was filled up with the rescued children, and Vincent left a small ribbon of his red cloak as a marker for the WRO authorities who would come to clean up the site.

Tifa opened up the little sliding window in the back of the truck, telling the happy little ninja that everyone was safely inside. Yuffie nodded and set the vehicle in motion slowly, remembering Cloud's advice in regards to motion sickness as they made their way to the relative safety of Edge. She kept moving in place as if listening to music, keeping her body moving and her breath steady. The vehicle lurched about here and there, until finally reaching a flat road, and she took off towards the bar, wanting to drop off her friends before taking the children some place safe.

"Urgh..." Cloud held his stomach, his face turning green. The ride out of the slums had been rough on him, and being crammed into the back of a truck with half a dozen kids, a few adults and Nanaki, his ability to counter his motion sickness had been severely reduced. He scooted towards a corner, doing deep breathing exercises and swaying back and forth.

"Uh...You okay, Cloud?" Evan called from the other side of the truck.

The man let out a little groan while shaking his head, his face hidden by his long, spiky hair. Tifa scooted towards him and rubbed his back silently while still holding the sleeping child.

Vincent looked at Evan. "...He gets motion sickness sometimes." He offered quietly. 

* * *

"Ah...ugh..." Cloud swayed on the sidewalk in front of the bar, trying to relieve himself of his nausea without resorting to puking everywhere. The wave of nausea subsided for the moment, and he sighed at his temporary reprieve. Vincent, Nanaki, Tifa, Evan and Vits stood together with him, the detective giving his thanks to the group for their rescue of his adopted child. "Don't worry about it..." Cloud put a fist to his mouth, focusing on his breathing through his nose.

Tifa smiled at Evan. "Guess the investigation is over, now that Valdt's dead. Yuffie said the WRO will do what they can to home the children, if they don't have parents."

Evan nodded, though he wasn't done investigating despite having one suspect that he was certain of; it was just going to go on the back burner for now, he needed to get on his other jobs as it was. "I guess I need to call a carpenter to get the door fixed, though I'm not sure who would come at this hour..." Indeed, it was getting to be late in the afternoon.

Cloud inhaled a shaky breath, fumbling with his wallet. He pulled out a little card after a moment, handing it to Evan. "Tell them I sent you." He looked at the detective with pathetic eyes, his illness clearing a little.

Evan took the card in his hand, then looked to Cloud again, smiling. "Just like Don Corneo?"

The warrior let out a small, weak chuckle. "Yeah."

Tifa coughed. "Well, I guess that's enough excitement for the day...Evan, drop by again, next lunch is on the house!" She smiled at him again, then said her goodbyes before turning towards the door of the bar, opening it and letting herself in. The others followed, each saying their farewells.

Evan sighed, then looked down towards Vits. "Guess Kyrie is gonna freak out when she sees the mess left in the house." They began walking home.

"D'you think we're gonna be in trouble?" Vits asked between sniffles.

Evan laughed. "I am, certainly." 

* * *

"Heeeey! Spiky! You look greener than a Marlboro, man!"

 _'Damn it. Damn it damn it damn it...'_ Cloud didn't need this. The house was already full, he had about a week before his next foray into the Wastes, and now Barret was here, the one person on this planet he actually felt some sort of fear of. Not because of any bodily harm, unless he really did get a hold of some silver bullets, but because he'd irrationally tear the home apart if he found out about his secret. Sure, he had some unfounded worries with Tifa, but she had always been there for him in the end, no matter what.

Barret would destroy any possible threat to Marlene, Tifa or Denzel. At least, Cloud reasoned, he could relate to that very well. He waved shakily at the big man, trying to get past his nausea still, and Barret let out another laugh. Marlene and Denzel were with the big gunman, and they charged Cloud and Tifa as they came into view.

"Papa picked us up from school! He said you both had to fight bad guys again!" Marlene chimed.

"We did! We'll tell you about it later...I think all of us are a little tired right now, though." Tifa said to the two.

Denzel cocked his head, looking at what Tifa was holding. "Who is that?"

Cloud mumbled as he slowly walked by, heading towards the bathroom. "Maybe a new family member..."

The two children gasped, shocked that Cloud and Tifa would possibly adopt another orphan. Denzel looked back and forth towards the two adults until Cloud disappeared up the stairs, then chased after him, his little feet noisily stomping upstairs. Marlene stuck to Tifa, asking her questions as Nanaki and Vincent sat by a booth, relaxing after an afternoon of darkness. Barret joined them, happy to see his friends after so long because of his job, slapping Vincent on the back and making him grunt.

"Cloud, where did the new kid come from?" Denzel asked, excited.

The warrior paused, looking back at the child. He still felt sick, another ebb in the nausea that would give way to him emptying his stomach out soon. Still, he had enough time for this. He slowly knelt down, putting a hand on Denzel's shoulder.

"I'll tell you what happened later, I promise. But...You have to keep my secret from him, too. For now at least. No talk about werewolves, alright?" His face was serious and almost worried.

Denzel fidgeted. "I promise."

Cloud nodded approvingly. "Thanks. Tell Marlene, too. It's very important." The man picked himself up and began to lurch towards the bathroom again, the desire to vomit growing again. The hilt of the First Tsurugi ground against the wall pathetically before Cloud disappeared into the darkness of his desired room, closing the door.

Denzel walked back towards the hallway, Tifa's head popping into view as she climbed the steps with the new child when he reached the top of the stairs. He stopped, pondering the new and exciting situation. "Where is he gonna sleep?"

Tifa reached the top of the stairs. "Cloud's office for now. Vincent said he was going to leave after dinner, his wanderlust is growing again. Barret is using the other guest room."

"Papa said he's gonna help Cloud put a bed in the room next to ours!" Marlene said.

A groan issued from the distant bathroom, and Tifa hurriedly ushered the children into the office. Denzel moved the covers as Tifa finally laid the child down, onto the bed. He was about Denzel's age, his hair dirty blonde and unkempt and freckles lining his nose and cheeks. Denzel placed the covers back onto the new family member, he and Marlene observing the child's features. Lanky for his age, wearing clothing that obviously had been on his back too long. Tifa figured she could clean everything up later, letting the boy rest first.

"Don't disturb him, now. He's had a very long day..." Tifa turned around to leave, sighing. "I think I'm going to start dinner while I still have the energy." 

* * *

Laughter rippled through his consciousness, his body surrounded in warmth. He shifted his limbs, a fabric embracing him. What is this? Blankets? His stomach ached from the absence of food for almost a week, with the exception of a few crumbs of dusty bread and dirty water. He sat up, looking around. This wasn't the dark dungeon that he thought he was going to die in, like his sister... It was dark, but a dim light came in from what he assumed was a hallway, the door to his room having a window.

Where was he?

Gingerly, the child pulled himself off the bed, looking about the darkness as his feet contacted cool wood. There was a desk next to the bed he had been laying on, and tires laying in a corner further away. Slowly, he made for the door, relieved that it was unlocked. He peeked out one way, more light coming from what looked like a stairwell, then the other way, the hallway ending in a dark room, other doors lining the space. He smelled food, but was afraid to see who might be waiting down stairs, the laughter scary to him after his week long ordeal.

He left the room he had been sleeping in, wandering to a nearby room. It was softly lit, two beds and toys here and there. Were there other kids here? What happened, how did he get here? The last thing he remembered was a nice lady holding him as he cried. Did she take him to her home? He rubbed his eyes, unsure of everything.

He yelped as a hand contacted his shoulder. "H-hey. It's okay." The voice was masculine and steady, like that of a young adult. He peered up in the dim light, a man with spiky blonde hair and softly glowing blue eyes looked at him with concern, his head watching from above as the man bent over to inspect the fearful child.

He blinked at the man, unsure what to make of him. "Um...Where..."

"...You're at our place."

The boy shifted his feet and looked about a little more, not sure whether to trust the man. The adult sat down next to the boy, leaning against the wall. He seemed to study the child, as if unsure how to proceed with the conversation.

"...My name is Cloud. Do you mind telling me yours?"

The child's green eyes lit up at the name, remembering the woman's words. "Cloud...You beat up bad guys, right?"

Cloud let out a small snicker, nodding. "Yeah. I guess Tifa told you."

"Tifa?" The boy slowly sat next to Cloud.

"She brought you here."

The boy remembered, the woman had lulled him to sleep after rescuing him. "Why?"

Cloud stayed quiet for a moment, the only sound coming from a conversation downstairs. "...She said...You needed a family. So..." He was rubbing his neck.

The boy looked down into his lap for a long time, unsure how to take the news. He hadn't had a family since his mother died of Geostigma, only he and his sister. Now, only he was left. Why are these people bringing him in? "I...don't get it."

"...I guess adults do things just because." Cloud sighed, looking at the other wall in front of him. "We can't make you stay, but you're welcome to stay with us if you want."

The boy nodded, understanding an offer given. He stayed silent for a minute, looking Cloud up and down, the man glancing back at the child as his stomach growled. Cloud chuckled, and began to stand himself up, holding a hand out to the still sitting child.

"Hungry? There's food downstairs." Cloud gave a small smile. The boy thought a moment, then took his hand. They walked towards the stairwell, Cloud looking back down at the child. "Still be nice to call you by your name, you know."

The boy looked down as he went downstairs with Cloud. "...My name is Zeph."

The first thing Zeph noticed when he came down the stairs was that the lower part of the home was a bar. The second thing he noticed was that the front of the bar was filled with strange adults, a couple of children, and a strange red beast, the sight of which made him move behind Cloud. He patted Zeph's head, reassuring him. "That's Nanaki. He's nice to kids."

The beast known as Nanaki looked over a moment later, making eye contact with the child as they came past the counter. He seemed to nod after a fashion, Zeph cautiously approaching the creature that for the life of him, he couldn't tell was more canine than feline, or vice versa. Nanaki gave a small huff and almost looked like he was smiling, that single amber eye on the boy. "Did you rest well?"

Zeph gasped. "You can talk!"

Nanaki chuckled. "I can talk quite a bit at times. But maybe later..."

A sinister looking man walked towards Cloud, looking down at the child, then towards his guardian. "I'd best be going now."

"I'll see you out in a moment, Vincent." Cloud turned to Zeph, and took him to an empty seat. "I'll be back."

Zeph sat at the seat, watching as Cloud and the man named Vincent left through the front door. A kindly voice made him turn his head towards the table, recognizing the woman it belonged to as the same person that comforted him, the one Cloud called Tifa. She was sitting by a large, dark skinned man and a little girl. The woman leaned over, and placed a bowl of food in front of him, some sort of meat stew.

"Hey! You're awake. Here's something to eat, if you're hungry."

The big dark man laughed. "Hey kid! Heard you got rescued from some crazy bast-"

"Barret!" Tifa scolded. The man waved his strange metal hand dismissively, a slight pink tinge to his cheeks. Was that a metal glove?

"Sorry Tifa. Hey, kid, what's your name?" Barret's voice was rough and friendly, just like his smile.

Swallowing a spoonful of his meal, the child answered. "Zeph..." He looked up shyly at the two adults. The little girl wearing a pink bow next to Tifa seemed to bounce in her seat.

"Nice to meet you, Zeph!" the little girl said. "My name is Marlene."

"I'm Denzel." Said a voice to his side. He turned, and a boy with unruly brown hair and vivid blue eyes was looking at him; he looked to be about Zeph's age. "...Are you gonna stay with us?" Denzel held an inquisitive look on his face.

Zeph thought a moment as he chewed his food, his belly happy to finally have something good filling it after so long. When was the last time he had had a hot meal? The people here were friendlier than the people out there in the slums.

"Maybe."


	17. In the Dog House

The last week had been the most pleasant Zeph had had in a long time, the adults letting him acclimate to their home and schedules as the other children went to school; the school year was almost over as it was, and Denzel and Marlene promised to help him catch up with them so he could enroll in the fall. Tifa had cleaned Zeph up and shopped for new clothing for him, and Cloud and Barret had showed him around the neighborhood since he'd never been to this part of the city before, the two adults pointing out landmarks to find his way home easier.

He learned that Barret and Nanaki would eventually leave again, but promised to come by once in a while to visit or say hello. Cloud did deliveries and would go anywhere to deliver a package for the right price, though he admitted he hadn't done many lately that involved him roaming too far from home. Tifa ran the bar downstairs by herself most afternoons and evenings, occasionally being helped by Marlene and Denzel. It wasn't a normal family, but it was close-knit.

Though the days had been peaceful, the nights still brought images of his dying mother or his sister being torn apart by that werewolf Cloud slayed. The night terrors had been bad enough that the adults and the other children had entered the office just to make sure he hadn't been murdered in his sleep when he screamed, with Nanaki finally sleeping in the room at the foot of the bed by the second night, inquiring of the child's dreams in an attempt to help Zeph work through his PTSD.

"Hm...You know, all of us have nightmares from time to time of things that happened to us or others in front of our eyes. You need to confront these experiences before they consume you." Nanaki whispered slowly, looking up at the child in the dark room. The only other sound was that of Barret's snoring from elsewhere in the house.

Zeph moaned softly. "I think it's my fault. My sister, that is."

"How?"

"...Valdt bribed us with food. We were so hungry...He pretended to be nice, and I thought it'd be okay, and my little sister trusted me to do the right thing. And then after following him, we fell asleep and woke up in one of those cells."

Nanaki shook his head. "That's not your fault. You had no idea he was a monster."

Zeph shrugged on his bed. "I couldn't save her. Fiore died because I trusted him."

"I blame myself for not smelling the beast out sooner." Nanaki said, perturbed by the child's thoughts.

Zeph paused, frowning. "But you wouldn't have known, right? Unless you knew there was a werewolf in the first place..."

Nanaki snorted. "If I knew. If you knew. The only blame is on Valdt, and now he is dead. He'll never harm a child again."

"Yeah, but...there's more werewolves out there. I heard what Valdt said...He thought Evan was a werewolf. But...wouldn't you have known if he was?" The child was frowning in the dark.

Nanaki was quiet a moment, avoiding the whole truth with the child. "He most certainly isn't a werewolf. Smells nothing like one. Valdt must have been mistaken..."

Zeph laid back down. "Is it true they're gonna check the city in a couple of nights?"

Nanaki sighed quietly. "Yes. The surrounding area, too. Just to make sure."

The boy yawned, sleep starting to take him. "I hope they find it." After his hideous ordeal, he'd only truly be happy after each one of those things were finally dead.

On the floor, Nanaki had a worried expression on his face as he curled up again, flicking his glowing tail softly. _'I hope they never do.'_

* * *

Cloud used to like oatmeal. It used to warm him up and stick to his stomach, and he used to put fruit in it, like bananas and strawberries. Now, it tasted like cardboard mush in his mouth, his displeasure written all over his face as he looked sadly towards Tifa. Yes, he knew he had to keep up appearances with Barret in the house, the man more observant than Yuffie, but damn if he wouldn't kill for some meat. Marlene snickered at him, and he turned with a disappointed frown; it was taking all of her willpower not to laugh loudly at his pouty face. Zeph raised a brow as he ate a spoonful from his own bowl, and Denzel sniggered next to the sad looking werewolf.

"Hey, Spiky! Thought you liked oatmeal!"

Cloud swallowed a spoonful painfully. "Not much in the mood this morning, I guess."

Barret chuckled at the spiky haired man, pointing to Nanaki's guest bowl. "Guess you'd rather have leftovers from last night."

Cloud let out a snort, glancing at the now empty bowl. _'You bet I would.'_

Tifa had hidden any real silver in the house the day after she caught Barret reading Denzel's encyclopedia, the big man wanting information on the creatures after learning of a possible straggler in the city and the gruesome details from the WRO clean up crew. He was going to take place in the local government's hunt for the werewolf on the upcoming Full Moon, and needed to know about his prey; Barret wasn't going to let some sick monster hurt his little daughter, or the two boys living with her for that matter.

"I don't think so, Barret..." Cloud sipped his coffee, washing away remnants of the disgusting oatmeal. "Not interested in this wild goose chase."

Barret looked disappointed in Cloud as he hungrily ate the rest of his oatmeal, tapping at the map on the table. "What, you gotta delivery that night or somethin'?" Before Cloud could respond with a 'yes', Barret circled the entire area around Edge and Midgar, including the cave that Cloud had marked. "We need people to comb through for that rat bastard! What if it sets up shop in Edge and starts eatin' lil' kids, eats my Marlene? I ain't havin' no mangy mutt run around here!" Marlene rolled her eyes as she scooped her breakfast from her bowl, Zeph nodding with the sentiment from the large man.

Cloud kept up his poker face as he drank from his mug, but in his mind he was screaming obscenities. They're checking out that far? Will they do it next month? Where the hell was he going to change, near the Forgotten Capital? What the hell was he going to do, when the existence of werewolves was now at least locally believed now?

Tifa came up to the table to collect the dirty bowls. "Um...actually..." Her face was hideously red, Cloud observed, and he knotted his brows together. What was she going to say? "...I'd feel safer if Cloud stayed here. In case the...werewolf...tried to get into the house."

He stared at her, unsure what the hell she was thinking, saying that. Granted he didn't scream out anymore as he transformed into a beast thanks to Vincent, but Marlene and Denzel would be curious, he'd probably be cooped up in the garage, and Zeph sure as hell couldn't find out about it. Tifa looked at him as she took his half eaten bowl of oatmeal, and gave him a nod. Cloud heard Denzel audibly, excitedly gasp next to him, as if someone gave him a giant birthday present. _'...Kids.'_

Barret stroked his scruffy chin. "Well, it'd keep the kids safe just in case that mutt showed up. Evan said that it's probably the same one that killed Valdt's men."

Cloud almost spit out his coffee. It looked like Evan's stirring the shit pot, again. He was going to have to have a talk with the detective later on. "...Guess it's decided then. I'll watch the house." He thought a moment, remembering his trove of beef jerky in Fenrir. He stood up, taking his mug with him; the conversation was done as far as it mattered to him. "Well, guess I'll fix up Fenrir some now. She needs a tune up."

* * *

"You're really gonna stay here?" Denzel said excitedly.

Cloud frowned. "Yeah, I don't have a choice in the matter, or I wouldn't." He looked about for a tool as he checked on his bike, gnawing on a piece of jerky.

The boy grinned. "I wanna see you!"

"No." The warrior leaned his face towards the engine, his cheeks red as he tried to ignore his embarrassment.

"Why not? Are you afraid you'd hurt me?"

Cloud sighed, slowly looking down towards Denzel. "Not anymore. I just..." He bit his lip. "Seeing me like that..."

Before Denzel could retort, the garage door opened and Zeph sheepishly entered the room. He shifted his weight on his legs as he watched the two, and Cloud wondered if the jig was up already despite their low voices. The blonde haired boy walked towards them and glanced at Fenrir. "...Is it okay if I watched you work on your bike?"

The swordsman grinned, relief on his face. "Of course you can."

Zeph watched silently from a stool as Cloud occasionally asked for some item from Denzel; a wrench or lubricant, a rag or his polish. Cloud looked over at the newest family member once in a while, the boy blinking and glancing back at the bike in response. Eventually Cloud finished his work, wiping grease from his fingers with a dirty rag as he sat next to Fenrir.

"That's finished. I'll have to do some deliveries tomorrow and catch up on my work while I can."

Zeph fidgeted. "You're still working tomorrow?"

Cloud nodded. "People need their deliveries. I can still watch the bar tomorrow night, don't worry."

"Yeah, but I bet that werewolf isn't gonna show up, anyway." Denzel said.

Zeph frowned. "How do you know? Maybe it wants to get revenge for killing Valdt."

The warrior held a sour expression on his face. "...I doubt it would want to end up dead." He bit into some jerky he had already torn open, tossing the wrap in the trash. Cloud noticed the boy staring at him and raised a brow. "What?"

"Nothing..."

The swordsman sighed. "Are you still worried?" He knew the child was watchful for any suspicious signs, the 'what ifs' of a traumatized child. He could smell fear on him almost all the time, though it wasn't always intense; sometimes it was just a little here and there, and other times it flared.

Zeph shrugged. "I can't help it yet."

"You aren't gonna get eaten by any monsters. Either me or Tifa'll get them."

Denzel nodded. "Cloud's super strong! I bet he could beat up a Behemoth with his bare hands!"

Zeph frowned. Denzel had shown off his monster encyclopedia, and he had flipped to a picture of the mighty beasts. "I know he's strong, but I don't think he's that strong..."

"He beat up Sephi-"

"Guys." Cloud stood in front of them. "...Wanna go to the park before lunch?"

* * *

Barret waved good bye to the family the very next night, strong arming Nanaki into being his trail sniffer, the beast looking less than pleased with his nocturnal job. He looked up with his amber eye towards Cloud, a strange look to it. "Try and keep everyone safe."

"I plan on it. Good luck, you two." Cloud followed them out, the Full Moon gleaming in the sky already. Not much time left, but he had to put the kids to bed with Tifa before he had to give in to the change. Giving a final wave, he went back inside and locked the door. Tifa and the children looked up towards him, only one not knowing what was about to happen in the house; Zeph.

"It's time for bed you guys, it's already a bit past ten." Tifa said, ushering them upstairs. They were already in their pajamas, Denzel and Marlene obviously in an excitable mood while Zeph seemed almost subdued in his march upstairs. Tifa noticed that the child was almost as broody as Cloud himself could be when he was in one of his moods; it was an unusual trait in children but could be easily explained in his case.

The two adults tucked in Denzel and Marlene, talking of mundane things like what they wanted to do during summer vacation or asking the next time they could visit the church. Zeph joined in here and there, the other children encouraging him to speak up. After a few minutes they wished the children a good night, then went to take Zeph to his new room.

The room was a little smaller than Cloud's office, but had a nice view of the street below; there was a wooden bed by the wall that Barret and Cloud had put together and a blue and white quilt covering it. They tucked Zeph in, the little boy fearful with the Full Moon out. He looked out at the city-scape, street lights and moonlight covering it. He looked back at Cloud and Tifa, his green eyes searching for comfort and reassurance.

"Do you think the werewolf'll attack the house?" His hands had pulled his blankets over his mouth.

They both shook their heads. Tifa gave him a little smile. "It'd be a bad idea to attack a place like this, anyway. Don't you think?"

Zeph nodded, but still looked scared. Tifa took his hand, smile still on her face. "I can stay here until you fall asleep if you want." She looked up at Cloud, and he nodded.

"Night, kiddo. I'll keep the monsters away." Well, he would if any actually showed up. Cloud exited the room, Tifa sitting on the child's bedside and holding his hand.

Tifa gave the boy a sweet smile. "How are you enjoying your stay with us so far, Zeph?"

The boy looked down towards the woman's hand that held his, focusing on it. "...It's really nice, thank you..."

"Good. I'm hoping we can get you ready in time for school in September, I'm not sure how much you need to catch up."

Zeph seemed to be thinking, scrunching his brows. "I never went to school, but Mom made sure we could read n' write."

Tifa's eyes lit up. "Oh, well that's good! Maybe we'll work on math, then."

The boy looked out the window again, sighing. "I hope Mr. Barret finds that werewolf."

The woman frowned. "I just hope he stays safe. Well, it's not like it's Valdt, right?"

Zeph shook his head. "Might be, though." He looked back towards Tifa. "He talked about takin' us to different people and werewolves if he didn't eat us first." Tifa gave a solemn nod, their assumptions confirmed.

"We'll find them and make them pay, Zeph."

The child's eyes lit up. "Is Cloud gonna slay a buncha werewolves?"

Tifa sighed, giving a half smile. "If they have it coming, he will."

Zeph gave a nod and a ghost of a smile back. "His swords are so cool. Denzel said he fought Deepground with them! Is that true?"

Tifa giggled at the query. "Yeah. We all came to fight them off."

His eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Mhm."

"...Wow." Tifa talked with the boy some more, and slowly he mentally winded down until his eyelids became heavy. The woman bid him goodnight before exiting and going towards her room for a few things to make her stay in the garage more comfortable.

* * *

Cloud made his way towards and down the stairwell, then opened the door to the garage and left it unlocked for Tifa; she said she would be downstairs to keep him company during the night, an offer he'd happily take. He left the light off, almost never really using it one way or the other, and Tifa could turn it on if she needed it anyway. His bare feet made soft noises against the cool concrete of the large room, almost echoing off the walls.

Opening up a compartment on Fenrir, he took a few large pieces of jerky out to give him something to gnaw on later, opening their packages and placing the meat on a small box. He sighed, the heat was getting to him now, tugging at him; he began to strip his night clothing, a black shirt and pajama bottoms. He folded them and stretched, wondering how long he'd have to do this in the garage. Maybe he'd have to go out some night and hunt, give the beast freedom to roam the next time he felt like being more animal than human. _'Am I still human? Probably not.'_ The only thing that mattered was that he was still himself, mostly.

That brought another question to his mind. Valdt talked to him while he was a wolf. Could he eventually warp individual parts of his body willingly? It already happened with his teeth as they chased the monster, his teeth deadly sharp during the afternoon foray into the slums. If he could talk...Valdt's cognitive abilities were better than Cloud's. That's something he had to work on, he thought.

Finishing with his thoughts he let out a soft grunt, and as he felt his insides churn he quickly began to change, much like he did when Vincent pushed him out in the wastes. The sounds were the worst part of the ordeal with the sound of shifting and snapping bones and growing flesh, but the pain had subsided greatly; parts of his change almost tickled instead of ached now, even as the act quickened over the months and during his recent training. He flexed his clawed hands as they finished changing, looking them over. Why they didn't hurt more pushing out, he had no idea. It felt like his teeth if he'd chewed gum for too long.

The sound of footsteps reached his ears, and he cocked his head, listening. Tifa? No, too light. Who was out of bed? The patter came closer and he froze, thinking it could be either Denzel or Zeph; their footfalls sounded very similar still to the werewolf. _**'Don't come in...Don't come in...'**_

The door opened abruptly but silently, Denzel coming into view with the low light of the bar behind him. The boy walked sleepily towards Fenrir, as if looking for something. The wolf inside inquired of the boy, and Cloud answered; he was his guardian, and he'd kill anyone who hurt him. Still standing quietly, he moved his head to watch Denzel; the boy had to know he was in here, they had already talked about it earlier as they worked on his bike the other day, and again today as Nanaki took Zeph for a walk.

Denzel seemed to be searching for something, unaware of the blue dots watching him from a black corner of the garage. "...Cloud?" He was searching for him, why? Did he just want to see him out of curiosity? That would be like Denzel; he said he looked pretty cool after Yuffie flashed that picture of him. He snorted at the memory, wanting to smile if only it wouldn't flash his fangs.

The boy snapped his head towards the sound, wide-eyed. The blue dots shifted from high up to the boy to a little over the child's jaw. His eyes adjusting to the darkness, he saw the same wolf monster from Yuffie's phone over a month ago blinking at him with a cocked head, ears forward as it crouched, its long, bent arms holding up it's front end lowly. Denzel stayed still a moment, then came over whispering "Cool!" as he came closer. He came up to Cloud, the werewolf holding an obviously disapproving expression on his face. "Sorry...I wanted to see you."

Cloud listened to the words, making out "Sorry", "I" and "you". Whatever, he'd talk to him in the morning after Tifa scolded him, if he felt like telling her, that is. He shook his head, sighing at the boy as he grinned excitedly at his now furry guardian. Cloud crawled across the concrete floor and past Denzel, and peeked at the open door. No one was in the bar, and he heard and smelt nothing out of place. He looked at Denzel, and motioned his head to leave sternly.

The boy seemed to understand better than Yuffie last month that Cloud wanted him to leave the garage. He slowly made his way towards the door with a small pout. As he reached the light of the door, Denzel looked up at Cloud, the werewolf watching the boy as he exited; he put his small hand to one of the werewolf's arms and gave him a small hug, the temptation was too great. He smiled as he looked at Cloud's face, the sternness evaporating, then nodded. "Goodnight, Cloud." He stealthily made his way back up the stairs; Cloud noticed the child was avoiding creaky floorboards. When did he learn to be so sneaky? **_'...Yuffie.'_**

The werewolf closed the door as softly as he could and made his way back to the corner where his clothing was; he gnawed on a piece of jerky as he pondered if Tifa had finally gotten Zeph to sleep yet. Laying down, the minutes passed. He began to listen to the sounds of passing footsteps outside of both human and animal, the tug to investigate growing; they were probably WRO affiliated. The grumble of a dog could be heard outside and shifting human feet, and Cloud had to fight the urge to rip open the garage door and see who was outside his den, intruding on his territory. He let out a low growl, irritated at whoever it was. The dog seemed to respond with a grumble of its own.

Another noise came to his ears, the sound of bare feet softly tapping against the floor inside the bar. He looked up, and the door to the garage opened up to reveal Tifa; she had a pillow and a blanket with her. She looked around, her face showing her apprehension of the dark room. Cloud let out a soft whine, and her face found his glowing blue eyes watching her from near the ground. She sighed with some relief and slowly made her way towards him after closing the door as quietly as she could, making sure to memorize her path before removing the little light that made its way into the room.

Tifa found her way, a hand eventually touching Cloud's furry side; she sat herself by his head and put the pillow behind her back for support. He laid his head happily on her lap, a sigh escaping his mouth as he situated himself, enjoying her lovely scent. Everything about her calmed him down, and he loved it, loved her. Tifa rubbed his head, enjoying his soft fur on her fingers, listening to his deep breathing and watching the darkness of the room they occupied. She began to whisper to the large werewolf. "Oh, Cloud..." His ears moved forward, eyes looking up at her. "The things we've been through...I guess you don't understand what I'm saying." A small laugh escaped her lips.

 _ **'...I understand you, Tifa.'**_

"But...I think maybe it's easier to say what I'm thinking, right now. I...Cloud...You try to keep us safe all the time. I want to keep you safe, too. We're like a real family, we really are. I don't want to lose you, ever..."

 _ **'Like a real family...doesn't want to lose me...'**_

Tifa rubbed the beast's head gently. "I love you, Cloud. Even if you're a pain in the ass werewolf." Her voice quivered from emotion and humor, Cloud understanding every word. Why could he? He couldn't understand everything Denzel said. Was something just clicking into place? He nuzzled her lap, his chest full of emotions he couldn't speak of. No, he wouldn't speak; he'd act on those emotions instead, tomorrow.

Tifa let out a little sigh, and bent over and gave Cloud a kiss on his dark forehead. "Goodnight, Cloud." He let out a short grumble, the woman taking it as his way of saying goodnight back to her. She continued to run her fingers through his fur until she succumbed to sleep.


	18. Only Like it's a Real Family

"Hey, Nanaki! You gettin' anything out here?" Barret walked up to the sniffing beast, the two near the beach that the port in Edge was constructed on. The lights of the city slowly weakened as they pushed away from it, looking towards the darkness beckoning the duo. The man had silver bullets made by the WRO, even as Yuffie chastised him for the splurge in ammo. Surely she understood why! She narrowly escaped a werewolf's attack, if Evan was right.

"Hm...No. Nothing yet..." Nanaki was glad to be out of the city and in the wilderness, where the scents were cleaner. He didn't think he'd find anything out here, but nonetheless he'd find what he could for his friend, if anything lurked out here that is. They traveled further on the beach, the moon giving them light enough to see anything in front of them. Nanaki felt a comfort from it, knowing Barret would at least be able to see somewhat tonight.

Onward they went for what seemed like hours, towards the bottom of a cliff that ended on the desolate beach. The moonlight was angled just right to where most of the area as properly illuminated in a bluish light that assisted the adventurers. Nanaki sniffed at the ground, the scent of the ocean and beach creatures flooding his nose. He almost brought his head up when he smelt something else, making him freeze. It as dusty and heavy... It seemed Cloud wasn't the only local werewolf, after all.

"I smell it..." He said, the surprise in his voice ignored by Barret. So, there was yet another werewolf at work in the area? How many were there, anyway? No matter. He searched around for the trail, finding if after a few moments. "This way."

Barret nodded, walking slowly behind his friend as he tracked the werewolf. He wouldn't let one of those things anywhere near Marlene, wanting to exterminate every last one since he was given that report on what was found in the sewers. Children's bones, papers on child trafficking, drugs, even a small torture room that was almost hidden from view until a cadet touched a secret switch in the wall. They had found another child there, barely alive, tied to a table. He wasn't sure if the child would survive or not.

At least Cloud was at home, watching over the children and Tifa. He may be a broody jerk sometimes, he reasoned, but he always put the family first; Barret had no doubt they were in good hands tonight, away from the terrors creeping in the night. The big man looked around as Nanaki sniffed towards the dreary cliff, making sure they weren't being stalked. The beach was too quiet, even with the sound of crashing waves nearby.

Nanaki growled low as they came towards some large rocks by the cliff face, the werewolf scent strong near the outcropping of stone. He quickly looked up at Barret, motioning with his head that the monster was behind here. No doubt, it already knew they were on the other side, too. They both tensed, and then, at the same time pounced behind the rocks, Barret's gun arm ready to pump silver-

To nothing at all. It seemed that way at first, at least. Nanaki looked down at the ground his paws landed upon and discovered them to be resting upon moist, sand covered organs, the beast gasping a yelp as he quickly removed them from the soft, disgusting gore. The owner of the viscera was some unknown woman, her throat torn out and her torso eviscerated; the face was barely recognizable from claw marks. Nanaki looked around, knowing the monster must be close by. He heard a battle shout from Barret, the man running towards something...

Nanaki gawked, his friend was charging a rampaging werewolf that seemed keen on making Barret its next victim for the night. It howled soullessly, clawed hands grasping the air in front of it for the gunman's body while in the throes of blood lust. The red beast charged immediately into battle, quickly making up distance and planning to leap on the monster before it could possibly kill or infect Barret.

Before he could jump, a loud banging noise rang across the beach, and the werewolf stopped in its tracks, silent. Then, it started to release an unholy scream, a black smoke coming from a wound in its chest. The monster scratched at it, as it trying to tear out the offending object, but it merely went to its knees as it continued its death screech. The stench of burning flesh came to the duo's noses as blood ran freely from the chest wound, Nanaki observing dark chunks flowing out with the liquid.

The werewolf collapsed, a final pained moan greeting the sand it laid upon. There was no exit wound, the silver bullet still lodged into the monster's chest and burning it from the inside out. Nanaki and Barret's ears still rang from the combination of gunshot and screaming, the two slowly looking at each other in amazement and horror. Nanaki nudged the beast, but it did not stir. Burnt, stinking blood began to soak the sand around its torso, and Barret cocked his gun hand.

"Damn. I knew silver bullets would come in handy! Stops the suckas dead!" Barret was in awe at the efficiency of the new bullets he was using.

Nanaki nudged the limp corpse again, making sure it was truly dead. "...Do you think this is the one..."

Barret lifted the monster's head up, getting a good look at it. He hummed, fiddling with a pocket and finally finding a small, powerful flashlight and pulling it out. He turned it on, and examined the face. The fur was nearly black and flowing, the eyes a pasty green. The snout was angular and black, the wide ears flopping lifelessly. Barret hummed to himself again, staring at the face. Finally he put it down and turned off his flashlight, shaking his head.

"Nah. See, I got the composite picture of the one that Yuffie saw. It was blonde and the fur was shorter and spikier. Don't know about the eyes, though. Snout was a little stubbier than this one, too." He examined the arms of the beast, the stubby fingers ending in cruel claws. A curious looking beast, now that he wasn't in fear of his life he took time to study it.

Nanaki silently thanked the planet that Barret hadn't had any suspicions towards Cloud because of Evan's information; if he had known about the glowing blue eyes he was certain Barret would have marched to Seventh Heaven to kill the swordsman. "...So I guess this is a third werewolf. Perhaps the others will find the second one in due time." He said tentatively. He knew they wouldn't, unless that second werewolf decided to go outside during the night. Hopefully Tifa could keep that from happening.

Barret whipped out his phone, contacting the hunt organizer. After some small greetings between them, the big gun man describing the battle and their trophy for the night. Barret nodded a few times more, grunting confirmations to the organizer. He finally hung up and looked down at Nanaki while fishing something out of his pocket. "Looks like they'll have someone come pick it up later." He took out a small tracker, placing it on the corpse after activating it.

The red beast cocked his head, curious. "They're going to properly dispose of the corpse, I assume?"

Barret nodded. "After some tests. They wanna at least get some kind of screening going so they can make sure none of those things are working for the WRO!" He looked proud of his kill, protecting Marlene in his mind.

Nanaki sighed. "I see."

The gun man looked at his phone, it was 3:30am. He yawned, scratching his side with his normal hand. "Think we can make it back to the bar in time for breakfast?" He was tired despite his long afternoon nap, he was out of his element this late at night.

His friend nodded as he began the walk back, desiring the same things Barret did. "I think so." 

* * *

Tifa stirred, looking about the darkness of the garage. What time was it? Her hand shifted, noticing it as on a smooth and cool surface; she rubbed it a few times and realized it was Cloud's naked back. The sensation caused him to grunt softly, his face still in her lap with a hand over her knee. Tifa let out a soft giggle, his morning grogginess cute, even if she couldn't quite see him.

"Good morning, Cloud." She ran her hand over his spikes.

He let out another grunt, shifting himself to look up at her. "Mornin'." He slowly, reluctantly removed himself from Tifa, sighing. He quickly walked over to his night clothes, putting them on and then helping the woman up off the floor and giving her a hug that she happily gave back. He held her wrist gently, tugging her through the darkness to the door; they both entered the quiet bar stretching.

Tifa began fumbling with the pans while Cloud fixed up the coffee maker silently, making sure to make a large pot; he wasn't sure what time it was, but he was certain Barret would be coming home soon, tired and empty handed from his little hunt. Metal softly clanged onto the stove behind him, and he looked back from his finished work.

"Any requests?" Tifa asked, a silly smile on her face. As if she needed to ask.

"Something with meat in it, please..." Cloud's voice was pleading. He couldn't take another day of oatmeal or pancakes or hash browns...Well, the hash browns were okay on the side, he reasoned. They added a nice crunch to his eggs.

Tifa giggled, nodding. "I think I know what to make, then."

Cloud grunted an approval, removing a mug from the cupboard. Waiting for the coffee to finish, he decided to go upstairs to their room and fetch his phone. He looked at the steps, trying to copy Denzel's pattern from last night, still causing creaks and frowning at his lack of success. Shrugging, he made his way to the bedroom, and after a moment collected his phone. He looked at it, the time being about 6:45am. They'd be home soon.

Sighing, he checked on the children. He opened the door to Zeph's room, the child still fast asleep; he seemed to twitch in his sleep a little and Cloud hoped he wasn't having another nightmare. He watched for a few moments, satisfied the child was merely having a dream. Cloud softly closed the door, then made his way to Denzel and Marlene's room, hearing whispered chatter from the other side of the door.

"You did what?!" Marlene. She sounded surprised.

"I really wanted to see what he looked like..." Denzel.

"I bet he's embarrassed." She sounded sympathetic.

"He shouldn't, he looks really cool like that. I wonder if he'd let us ride his back..." Really now?

Cloud heard Marlene giggle, and he decided to make his entrance then, opening the door. They both looked up towards him while sitting on Denzel's bed, their eyes lighting up. He scratched the back of his head as he closed the door softly, fully entering their room and shaking his head at them.

"Don't I look cool already?"

They kids both laughed. "Yeah! but you looked cool down there, too." Denzel said.

Giving a shy smile, Cloud sat on Denzel's bed, looking at the children as they leaned themselves towards the man. "I didn't tell Tifa. But..."

"You just don't wanna be seen." Denzel's brow as raised.

"It's embarrassing, yeah." He gave them a little frown.

"We don't care what you look like." Marlene said. "As long as you're Cloud!" Denzel nodded firmly with the sentiment. Cloud blushed slightly, trying to keep a straight face.

"Still...No sneaking out of bed, alright? I have no idea how long I'll have to do this in the garage..."

The children gave a nod, understanding Cloud still had a need for solitude. He gave an approving look, and then lifted himself from the bed, leaving the room. Before he entered the stairwell, he heard their little feet hit the floor, Marlene musing her thoughts to Denzel.

"We really are like a real family, sometimes." Like a real family...Like one... 

* * *

"Uh...So there was another werewolf, then? Out on the beach?" Cloud was poking at his half finished omelette, Tifa having filled the egg with bacon and beef tips, and a piece of tomato here and there. The breakfast was heaven to him after several days of sad carby mornings, but the new information Barret and Nanaki brought from last night was surprising, to say the least, and distracting him from his meal.

"Yeah! Shot that sucka dead with a single silver bullet! Ears still ringin' a little bit from the screams, though." Barret didn't notice Cloud's face pale more than it already was as he sat trying to finish his breakfast.

"...Screams?" Cloud frowned.

Barret nodded. "Looked painful, too. Won't get into details with the kids around and all, but I almost felt sorry for that thing."

Great. Cloud was certain he was going to meet his end by Barret's gun arm, a silver bullet lodged in his head in an 'act of mercy'. He went back to the rest of his meal, making sure to enjoy every moment he could until his inevitable death by his big, protective friend or by the WRO is their screening caught him when they finally set it up. His mind went back to his night with Tifa, the things she said to him...

He sighed, knowing what he had to do, should have done a while ago. Why Tifa continuously put him in her debt, he didn't know. Why she'd go out of her way for him, he didn't know. Well, it was love, but still, why? He accepted her love, obviously, the two restarting their relationship awkwardly after he was cured of Geostigma. They were at a very comfortable level in their relationship, but he felt he had been too shy to confront her, not wanting to ruin what he had.

Finishing his food and swallowing the rest of his coffee, he got up and placed his dishes in the sink, then made his way upstairs to get dressed. Tifa watched him make his way towards the stairs, a strange look on his face that sent a twang of concern in her chest. Her attention was broken by a tug on her pants, Nanaki looking upwards towards her.

"Hey, Nanaki. Everything alright?" Her frown matched his, both knowing the subject.

"They're still searching for the second werewolf, you know."

Tifa's frown deepened. "They aren't going to give up any time soon, are they?"

Nanaki shook his head. "They'll probably have an ability to screen people within WRO in a month or two, with that fresh corpse from last night. I doubt they'll push it into the general population, unless of course there's a massacre."

Barret let out a laugh, holding a worried Marlene. "Don't worry, Tifa! We're gonna get every last werewolf in the city, None of them are gonna touch a hair on my little Marlene." The little girl locked eyes with Tifa, communicating in silence.

Before she could respond, Cloud had come back down the stairs, his usual clothing on and finishing placing a glove on one of his hands. He looked back towards his friends and family with an emotionless expression on his face, Tifa wondering if everything was alright. Probably not, with the news from last night. Were werewolves more common than they both thought? It certainly complicated the situation.

He walked towards the counter, giving a slight nod to Tifa as he placed his hands on the cool surface. "Right. Got some deliveries this morning."

Tifa cocked her head, brows knitted together. "When will you be back?"

He shook his head. "Don't know." Before she could say any more, he retreated back towards the garage, and after a few moments the sound of Fenrir starting up sounded softly in the bar. Soon the sound moved, then slowly disappeared as he went off on his deliveries.

The woman frowned, hating that tone of voice, that answer. She remembered that tone from two years ago. Was he depressed again? Was he going to push them away, in an attempt to keep them safe? If only he had understood her last night, if only she would have said it to him this morning...

Barret patted her back softly, Tifa turning her attention to the big man. "He's probably in one of his moods. You know how Spiky is when he's like that, maybe he just needs some alone time." Barret looked thoughtful a moment, giving Marlene a little squeeze. "Speakin' of which, I should probably head out tomorrow. I need to get back to work in Junon, and now with these muts runnin' around, well..." He frowned, holding the little girl on his knee. "...Cloud'll keep you all safe at night, right?"

Tifa nodded as she picked up her mug from the counter.

"Still, think I'm gonna have to make sure you're all safe when he's not around..." Barret picked up Marlene, standing her on the floor. He got up from his seat, shifting his jacket about and taking a last swig of his coffee. "I think I'll take a nap, then I'll take the kids shopping later."

Tifa raised a brow after sipping her coffee, looking at Barret. "Shopping?"

The big man moved past the counter, then turning back. "Yep. Gonna make sure the kids got some protection from ugly muts!" He moved again for the guest bedroom, a big yawn coming from him as he reached it. Nanaki looked back up at Tifa, a sigh on his lips.

"I suppose I'll be taking a nap, too. Last night was tiring." He stretched much like a cat, Zeph watching him closely from his seat next to Denzel; he was still searching for the answer of whether Nanaki was more cat, or more dog.

"I'll call you when lunch is ready." Tifa said flatly. She wasn't sure if today was going to be good or bad.


	19. Under the Stars

Barret entered the weapon shop with the three children in tow, Denzel and Marlene frowning while Zeph seemed excited at the prospect of some viable protection from werewolves. The shop glimmered with shining swords and daggers, maces and guns, rods and batons. It seemed as if a weapon existed, it was probably being sold here.

The man at the counter looked up from his cleaning, using a soft rag to polish the glass case with its rows of small blade weapons. He looked a little coarse, with a short black beard and brown eyes, his body about as muscly as Barret's. He nodded at the new customers, no longer surprised to see children as of late; with talk of werewolves, his business had gone up.

"Welcome to my shop! Lemme guess, you're here for something silver, right?" Barret nodded with a chuckle, clapping his hands and rubbing them together excitedly as the weapon's clerk went behind a red cloth screen, the sounds of shifting boxes soon hitting the ears of the new customers. A moment later and the clerk had come back into view, holding several containers. He placed them gently on the counter, Barret lifting Marlene up in his big arms to see the silvery treasures; Zeph and Denzel tall enough to glance a piece here and there to guess what they were.

The boxes contained daggers and clubs either made or coated with silver, some of the clubs dotted with small, shining spikes. There were also a few small bangles, still containing materia slots from a time when they were more commonplace. The clerk scooped up one of the longer daggers, glancing over it, then let Zeph hold it. "These daggers have been very popular this week for kids, though this one is closer to a short sword than a dagger... Parents don't want their older kids without something to injure a werewolf..." Zeph felt the smooth leather of the hilt in his palm, doing a few swipes in the air opposite Barret to get a feeling for the heavy thing, the weapon looking like a short sword in the child's hand regardless if it was supposed to be a dagger. He looked up to Barret, smiling.

Denzel and Marlene seemed less pleased with Barret's choice of shop, but the little girl looked over the items in front of her. Cloud would still want them protected, wouldn't he? She bent down in front of her, grasping a small, silvery bangle. It had a single materia slot in it, and it covered a large part of her forearm. "I don't really wanna have a weapon. Can I have this instead?" Marlene looked up at her papa, the man thinking.

"Well I guess, if Zeph and Denzel have weapons to protect you. No one's hurtin' my little girl!" Barret gushed, Denzel looking up with a brow raised and then back at the offered weapons.

"...I want something longer." He said quietly.

The clerk stroked his scruffy chin. "Longer? Hold on." He went back into the hidden area, the sound of clutter moving about and metal scratching concrete. A few minutes later the clerk returned, coming out from behind the counter to present a thin, long stick to the boy, Denzel slowly grasping it. It was lighter than it looked and sturdy, the ends blunt. The boy liked the weapon, even if he'd have to avoid touching Cloud with it. The clerk pointed at the weapon approvingly.

"That there is a mythril rod, with silver coating the business ends. It's why it's so light and strong. Looks like it's a good length for you, kid." The clerk nodded, satisfied with the proportions. Barret had a good laugh as Denzel looked over the rod some more. Tifa might not be happy with them having weapons, but...If it made Barret feel they were safer, if Zeph felt more secure, it shouldn't be a problem.

"Alright, Denzel! That looks perfect for you." Satisfied with the choices, Barret whipped out his wallet and purchased the weapons, letting the children hold their new treasures. The clerk brought out an adjustable scabbard for Zeph, the boy strapping it to his back proudly. Waving good bye, they left into the sunny central plaza of Edge.

"Do you think Cloud'll show us how to use them?" Zeph asked in a cheerful voice. He had seen Cloud's collection of swords and his fighting abilities.

Denzel kicked a pebble, holding his rod to his side. "Probably. He might be worried about us learnin' about weapons so early, though." When did Cloud say he learned how to use a sword? Fifteen?

Marlene skipped between the two boys and Barret. "I wanna learn from Tifa." Tifa never needed anything more than her fists and legs it seemed, and Marlene liked it ever since she saw her fight Loz.

Zeph looked back at Marlene, curiosity shining on his face. "Tifa can fight?"

Denzel and Marlene both smiled and chimed "Yeah!" at the same time. Denzel let out a little giggle, and continued. "She's amazing. Tifa knows martial arts and can do some really cool stuff with it. She's really strong for a girl!"

"What d'you mean 'for a girl'? We can be strong if we want to!"

Denzel shook his head. "But a lot of girls don't want to be strong like Tifa." he replied.

Before they could continue their argument, the three children saw Barret stop walking; they came to his sides, Marlene holding his hand. He was greeting Evan Townshead, the detective that had that misadventure with Cloud, aiding in the rescue mission for Vits. Marlene and Denzel watched him quietly, remembering that Tifa had told them he had been on Cloud's case. Zeph was more open, believing the man's bumbling had saved him, if not his sister.

"Hey, Evan! How's it goin'!" Barret boomed, waving a hand. The detective waved back, Vits holding his other hand and looking warily at the large dark man screaming his guardian's name. Evan reassured the boy with a pat on the back, Barret being a fount of information over last night's hunt once he gets a conversation going.

"Not bad. The hunters kept us up when they were searching around my house." Evan shrugged, giving a small smile. "I heard you were hunting last night. Find anything?"

Barret nodded grimly. "It was another werewolf, thing was stalking around the beach! Put some silver in it and it dropped dead." He thought a moment, looking at the detective. "Wasn't the same one as the one you was after, though. I still want that one's hide!"

Evan cocked his head. "Did Cloud participate last night?"

Barret shook his head. "No. He stayed home to watch over the family, in case that rabid mutt showed his ugly face around the neighborhood!"

The detective's mouth gave a nervous twitch. He looked down towards the children, curious glances returned back to him. "That one must be quite wily, to not get caught..."

"He's gonna slip up some time, and I'll be there to put'em out of his misery!" Barret laughed, and Marlene frowned.

Evan nodded, knowing he was going to have to have a talk with the swordsman sooner or later. This werewolf business had had him on edge for nearly a month now, and with them being exposed because of Valdt to the public, things might get a little strange. He sighed, wondering how things would turn out. "Well, we better be on our way, then. Vits needs a weapon to keep him safe...I guess we're going where you were coming from."

"Looks that way! You two stay safe, now." The two adults made their farewells, going in opposite directions. Barret made his way to Seventh Heaven, making small talk with the children about their weapons as they traveled on. "Bet Spiky's gonna be surprised when he sees these new toys!"

"Do you think so?" Zeph said enthusiastically.

The two other children stayed silent, unsure about his reaction. "Maybe we'll show him tomorrow." Denzel said.

* * *

Tifa busied herself with the dishes after dinner, a strange and bitter nostalgia covering the chore tonight as the water became cool. She felt alone again, Cloud having been quiet and distant during dinner; even the children seemed subdued by his mood, Barret trying and failing to cheer them up. Was it just one of those days for him? He had seemed so warm that morning. What had changed?

Did he think he was a burden on her again? She didn't care. The only burden was his emotional distance. Maybe, she thought, she was thinking too hard on it. But she had tried talking to him before dinner, and he just averted his eyes and mumbled that there was something he had to do, walking off. Tifa felt almost angry. They'd been through everything already!

Drying off the last of the dishes, she dried her hands off, sighing heavily. She looked at the bar, dark and cleaned up, the counters wiped and the floor sweeped. She went to the other guest room, wishing Barret and Nanaki a good night as they situated themselves comfortably in the room. She headed upstairs, slowly making sure all the children were in bed already. Marlene and Denzel greeted her softly as she came in, Tifa giving them hugs and kisses good night. She went to Zeph's room quietly, the boy already asleep. She closed the door softly.

Walking into her shared room with Cloud, she was surprised he wasn't there; he certainly wasn't in the bathroom, the room dark. She frowned, then saw a little white paper on her pillow. She picked it up, noticing Cloud's clunky hand writing on it:

 _Meet me on the roof._

 _Cloud_

 _'He's on the roof?'_ She looked about after reading the note, swaying on her legs. What's this all about? She looked to the open window by her side of the bed, the fire exit leading to the rooftop. She swung her legs out, slowly moving her torso and head out and standing straight; she looked up towards the sky, the stars surprisingly luminous tonight despite the city lights, the nearly full and waning moon shining low. Heading upwards on the exit ladder, she didn't have to travel far. As she peeked over the edge of the roof, Cloud's spiky head came into view, and he looked towards her as he sat cross-legged on the ground. She moved onto the roof, and noticed as she got closer to him he had a glass and a whisky bottle that he had taken from the bar.

How long had he been up here, drinking? Probably since after dinner, she guessed, giving him almost two hours to get trashed. Cloud looked up at her as she stood next to him, finally sitting with her legs out in front of her, one on top of the other, and her arms propping her up. He took another long sip of the whiskey in his glass, staring out into the city with a look as if he had the weight of the entire world upon his shoulders and swaying slightly. Tifa let out a little cough, bringing his attention back to her.

"So, Cloud...What's this all about?" Her voice was subdued.

"I...needed to talk." His voice was a little lower than usual, and so very serious despite a slight slur. He filled his glass with the contents of the bottle in a slightly exaggerated manner. His face seemed flushed in the low light.

Tifa nodded. He could have spoken earlier..."What did you want to talk about?"

He took another swig of the whisky, offering her some; she mentally shrugged and took the glass, sipping, figuring she'd need it if he felt he himself needed it this badly. "I...I don't know how I can ever catch up with the things you've done for me, ever. I know it's not a contest, but...I feel selfish right now. Like I can never ask enough of you. Don't I get tiresome?" His eyes searched her, his eyelids drooping a little.

Tifa took another sip of the booze, the burning liquid giving her a little courage. "You get tiresome when you become distant, not when I help you. Am I tiresome when I need you?"

Cloud shook his head. "Never." There was a long pause, both of them looking up at the stars that watched as he made that promise to her so long ago. The swordsman fumbled with his fingers. "...Tifa. I asked you up here because...I'm done with us being _like_ a real family."

Tifa's eyes widened and her face numbed. What was he saying? "Cloud? What do you mean?"

"That's all I hear. 'We're _like_ a real family'. You said it, Marlene said it...As if we aren't really a family..." He trailed off, gulping from the bottle of hard booze as if he needed the burning drink to continue his train of thought. He let out a sigh as he removed his lips from the bottle, wincing from the taste, repeating words he had said a minute ago. "I feel so selfish right now, Teef..."

Her eyes watered a little as she put the glass down. "Are you going to run off again? Leave us, leave me?" She closed her eyes as she brought her right hand to her face, slouching as her head swam from his words. She heard Cloud fidget next to her, and after a moment heard him sigh as he took a good, long swig of the whiskey yet again. "We've gone through everything together...You aren't a burden, Cloud, if that's what you mean...You never were."

"This is what I want, Tifa..." He said firmly. She was about to cry into her lap when she felt Cloud lift her left hand, as if to comfort her. "I...hope you'll accept it." Tifa's eyes burned and she clenched her teeth, her breath shuddering. What he wanted? What about what she and the children wanted? They want him there, happy and close and a family, even if it wasn't a conventional one. Suddenly, something warm and hard and smooth slipped onto her ring finger, and she looked up at the hand he held. Something shimmered in the twilight at her.

Slowly she pulled her hand closer to her tear stained face as Cloud released his gentle grip, observing what he had put on her finger. It was a delicate ring of white gold, with little yellow gold stars dancing upon the center of the band. Her mouth open, she looked it over, flabbergasted. Tifa looked up into Cloud's face, the tipsy werewolf swaying slightly in the dark, his glowing eyes half open and what seemed to be dark, blushing cheeks. "...Cloud...?"

"I wanna be a real family, Teef. Everything you said to me in the garage...I understood it." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she stared at the ring and then back at him. "I love you, Tifa. And I want to _be_ a real family, not just be _like_ a real one." He squeezed her. He tried subtly sniffing her hair for emotional ques, his senses were failing him with the copious consumption of whiskey. "Even if I'm like...this. Maybe that's why I think it's selfish of me." Cloud's voice had slurred even more as the alcohol churned through his system. "I...I need you. I need the kids."

He didn't hear an answer for a long time. Was she denying him? He couldn't blame her. Being a girlfriend was one thing, being a spouse was another. Especially to a werewolf...Did he think this through enough? Tifa seemed to begin shuddering a cry, and slowly looked up to Cloud, his face filled with fear that she might reject his proposal. She cupped his cheeks, bringing his face close to her. "Cloud...Thank you."

 _'Thank you? For what?'_ His booze addled mind didn't quite get it, his brows knitting together lazily.

She kissed him, slowly bringing an arm to his neck and another to run through his hair. He gave the kiss back happily, rubbing her cheek tenderly, his lips forced into a smile as they kissed. After a few minutes she removed herself slowly from his lips, her ruby eyes sparkling back the light of the moon and the stars. "This...is what I want, too." she said breathlessly.

He embraced her, his heart drunkenly jumping for joy; she wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her. Tifa inquired about his own ring, and he brought attention to his chest; a strong, behemoth leather necklace holding a white gold band around his neck, laying over his lean muscles. "I want it with me always."

Tifa smiled, touching the smooth, plain band that shined in the moon and star light. She took another sip of the whiskey she had placed down minutes before, thinking. "Do we have a wedding? Or do we just..." She knew Cloud wasn't one to desire all eyes on him in an emotional moment, and there were no legal forms for marriage after Meteorfall in Edge because there were other, more important things to manage in the city. Not yet, anyway.

"...Up to you. To me, it's done already. I only need you to say it is." He studied his ring, holding it up from his chest. He had it sized for his finger, but he didn't want to break it during an 'incident'...Still, tonight he'd wear it where it should be. Taking the necklace off he unlooped the ring and placed it on his left ring finger, letting Tifa see it on his hand. She put her own next to his, giggling happily, and he kissed her cheek as her face came near.

"It is," Tifa said, laying her head on his shoulder. "But, everyone's going to expect us to do something later..."

Cloud laughed from the booze in his system. "We can do that." Satisfied with his night, Cloud tried to pick himself up only to stubble backwards and land flat on his back. Tifa began laughing uncontrollably as her new spouse groaned on the roof, an arm resting on his forehead.

Tifa picked up the whisky bottle, shaking it. "How much did you drink?!" She snickered, a large smile on her face that Cloud cherished when he lifted his head to her question. "I'll be right back..." Tifa made her way to the ladder and slowly disappeared out of view.

Cloud laid there, more drunk than he'd ever been before, happy that his drunken rambling got him through the big question. He did pop the question, right? He lifted his hand up to the dark and sparkling sky, admiring the ring on his hand. They were a real family now.


	20. Training and Good Byes

"Ungh..." Cloud's head felt like it was being pounded with hammers, despite the soft pillow under it. Why was the bed so hard? Where was all this light coming from? His stomach didn't feel well. He snapped his eyes open, then groaning again as sunlight blasted into the blue orbs and tightly shut them again. _'Shouldn't have done that...What happened last night?'_ He couldn't remember how he ended up where ever he was right now. He heard and felt movement next to him, and he took a few sniffs of the air around him. Tifa was next to him. "...Tifa..."

More movement. "Cloud? You're awake finally!" Her voice chimed, though a whisper; it still hurt his ears a little.

"...What happened last night?...Are we outside?" He mumbled, his voice unsure.

There was a long pause. "You don't remember what you did last night?" Her voice sounded concerned.

Cloud's head wasn't helping him remember at all. Why did it hurt so much? He shook his head, hiding his closed eyes with a hand. He heard birds and people and vehicles in the distance. Tifa didn't seem worried, so he guessed they were in a safe place.

"Well, you changed, and..." Her voice trailed off.

He snapped his aching head towards her, slowly opening his eyes with his hand shading his eyes. Her head was on a pillow, and she seemed to have a blanket over her mouth, cheeks blushing. "I...I changed...? What happened?" His face was warped with worry and dread, hoping he hadn't killed some innocent person last night. How could he not know he changed, though?

"You...changed me, too."

He grabbed her arm in a panic, feeling a new sickness to his stomach that wasn't there when he woke up this morning. _'I what?!'_ "Changed you...? Oh, God..." His voice was panicked despite the huskiness from his hangover.

Tifa nodded. "Yeah...See...?" She lifted her left hand up from under the covers, putting it in front of his eyes.

He squinted. "...Did I scratch you on your hand?" He sounded terribly guilty. Tifa's lips twitched. _'Why is she so calm about this?'_

"Look...Right here." Tifa brought her ring finger closer, wiggling it back and forth. He took it with his hand, squinting hard.

What? There wasn't a scratch there. It was a ring...Last night began flooding through Cloud's thudding head, all the whiskey he drank to be able to propose to her, the rambling bullshit that came out instead, the look on her face as she realized what he as trying to do...He let out a little sigh, smiling as he closed his eyes. "Don't do that to me...It's not nice to tease your husband like that..." He said shyly, blushing. It sounded strange, in a good way.

Tifa gave a smile, taking her hand and running it through his hair; he moaned happily, the sensation taking the edge off his hangover. "I couldn't help it..." She continued to rub his head, a content smile on her lips. "I think it's kind of late in the morning...Everyone is probably wondering where we are."

Cloud put his hand on Tifa's side, slowly rubbing it. "Just a few more moments...I'm not ready to go down the stairs."

It took them several minutes to navigate the fire escape, Cloud having to slowly take his time with every step down he took; his head still pounded and the sunlight burned his eyes. Tifa held onto him as he stumbled towards the open window, clumsily pushing himself through in a noisy fashion. Cloud thudded to the floor, groaning, as Tifa made her way inside, laughter on her lips; her lover's graceful entry into the house had much to be desired. As if on cue, the sound of little footsteps made their way towards the bedroom.

Denzel and Zeph poked their heads through the open door as Tifa came through the window completely, wondering where the two had been all morning. "T-Tifa? Cloud?" Denzel's voice rang out, causing Cloud to groan as he dragged himself on the bare bed with a goofy, pained smile on his face. Denzel came forward, his face holding a confused expression. "What were you guys doing? Nanaki said he smelled your scents going up to the roof..."

Tifa sighed as she pulled the pillows and blanket from the window, placing them back where they belonged and laying the blanket over a clothed, moaning Cloud. "We didn't mean to sleep in so late..." She twisted the ring on her finger sheepishly, a little smile growing on her face.

Zeph cocked his head. "You were up on the roof all night?" He scratched the top of his head.

Tifa blushed, her smile goofy to the children. "Y-yeah..."

Cloud groaned under the covers placed on top of him, his boots hanging off the bed. Tifa turned to him, and fiddled with the footwear; he couldn't get it off himself at the moment. Denzel moved closer to the bed, a brow raised. "...Is Cloud okay?"

The swordsman's voice was muffled from the mattress. "Too muh drink." Denzel stifled a giggle, his hero obviously having ended up like one of Tifa's regulars last night. But why? He usually doesn't drink, and when he does it's not that much.

Tifa looked at the clock on her nightstand, it was 9:45am; enough time for the both of them to shower before lunch. "I guess I'll get him a Remedy before he suffers any longer..." She looked at the confused but amused children. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

They both nodded. "Barret made us pancakes. He went out with Marlene to go to the park before he left..." Denzel put his hands behind his back. Tifa nodded, unceremoniously dropping Cloud's boots to the floor.

"Okay...I'm going to get cleaned up then, after I get that Remedy. Will you two be alright until lunch?" The boys nodded, and Tifa smiled at them as she made her way towards the door. "Try not to bother Cloud too much..."

The two boys looked at each other, the room quiet except for Cloud's occasional groaning. His face was covered with the blanket, but his arm was stretched out towards the the front of the bed, his feet dangling off the side. They looked over at Cloud, frowning. When did Cloud wear a ring? Denzel's frown deepened, the ring looked like it was silver? Shouldn't that burn his skin? He softly touched the smooth band, Cloud grunting and flexing the hand instinctively.

Footsteps approached from behind them, and Tifa reappeared, holding a glass of some yellow-green liquid that fizzed like soda. She moved the covers, Cloud blinking and pushing himself slowly up into a sitting position. He brought a hand to the glass, Tifa holding until she knew he had a good grip; Remedies weren't cheap. Cloud sipped the sweet liquid, letting the cleansing effects wash over him. Tifa patted his back, retrieved some clothing, and went off towards the bathroom with a smile plastered on her face.

"Ahh..." Cloud drank the Remedy quicker now, the medicine clearing his hangover. He opened his eyes, the two boys sitting on the bed with him. Putting the nearly empty glass down, he blinked at the children; they obviously had questions. He hadn't really spoken to them much last night, his proposal taking up his mind at the time. "Mornin'...What are you guys up to?"

Zeph and Denzel looked at each other, then back at Cloud. Zeph spoke up cheerfully, while Denzel held a sympathetic look that confused Cloud. "Barret took us shopping yesterday, while you were gone!"

Cloud raised a brow, sipping the last of the Remedy. "Oh yeah? shopping for what?" He didn't like where this might be going...

"Silver weapons! I got a silver sword, and Denzel got a rod! Can you teach us how to use them, in case a werewolf tries to attack us?" Zeph seemed to bounce excitedly. Denzel shifted uncomfortably, feeling guilty for picking out a weapon.

"...He bought you weapons." Silver weapons. Did he upset some unknown god? Cloud sighed heavily, tapping his fingers on the glass he held nervously. On the one hand, he's not the only werewolf out there, and the others probably wouldn't be friendly. On the other, he was risking some terrible pain if they accidentally touched him with the business end; He could easily handle a normal cut or stab, but silver burned like hot iron. "I think you guys are too young for this...But...If it keeps you safe."

Zeph's jade eyes lit up. "Really? Awesome!"

Denzel's response was more subdued. "Thanks, Cloud."

He nodded back to them both, looking around the room for the clock and sighing as he read the numbers. Cloud looked back at the children. "Right. After lunch, I'll give you both some basic training." He was getting hungry. 

* * *

_Whoosh!_ The blade came down neatly. Cloud nodded his approval, Zeph having practiced his form for the last hour. The swordsman wore his usual black leather gloves and his new ring around his neck; touching the blade or the rod would be troublesome without protection. "Good. Make sure you have a solid grasp of this basic form before we go into defensive positions." He walked over to Denzel, the boy giving the air thwacks of his rod.

"...Sorry, Denzel. I'm not as experienced with rods, so there's not a lot I can teach you except for what I learned in basic training..." Cloud went behind the boy, crouching and softly lifting the boy's arms into a better position. "You wanna hold it like this, so you can direct the center of the rod into the werewolf's mouth..."

Denzel interrupted him softly. "I think the center is only mythril..." Cloud frowned, then looked towards Zeph, the boy behind him and focused on his chop. The swordsman lifted his glove a little, then tentatively put his palm on the center of the weapon Denzel held. Nothing.

Cloud grunted. "That's stupid...Okay, you're going to have to use your ends for protection, then. Move it this way and that, hit the face." He replaced his glove and moved away from Denzel, letting him attempt the defensive move. His form was less sure, sometimes giving too much force and having to correct his footing. "Pretend there's a monster coming down at you, Denzel." The boy paused, then corrected his swing and posture to a better form in Cloud's judgement. He wiped sweat from his brow, summer finally here.

He was sort of relieved Marlene decided to get a silver bracer and train with Tifa, his hands full with the two boys. In an excited fit Zeph had almost slashed him across the arm at one point, and Denzel had cracked one of Cloud's knees with one of the business ends of his rod; he was certain he'd have a nice bruise from that. The last hour had been mostly smooth however, the boys quickly learning basic stances and now swings.

"Hey, Spiky! Think I could talk to ya before I left?" Barret had appeared in the alley they trained in, from behind the corner of the building. He was giving a smile, but Cloud knew he as there to demand he keep the family safe. The swordsman looked back at the children, nodding.

"Keep practicing. I'll be back."

He made his way toward the large man, disappearing behind the corner Barret had come from. The gun man looked down curiously at Cloud, then pointed at the ring on his chest. "New jewelry?"

Cloud's face went red. "Um...I..." He was choking on his words, looking this way and that. Barret laughed hard at his friend's nervousness, Cloud's emotional shyness well known among his friends.

"Tifa told me, after stammerin' like you! It's about damn time you popped the question to her. You plannin' on havin' a ceremony or anything?"

Cloud sighed, smiling. "Maybe have a party at the bar..."

"What, no church ceremony or nothin' like that?" Barret cocked his head and raised a brow.

The swordsman shook his head. "Well, if Tifa wants to, I'll do it." Neither of them had a need for more, really. A special day with their friends and family, and they'd both be content.

Barret chuckled once more. "Just keep me updated on that." His face became more serious, and he grabbed Cloud's free shoulder gently and brought him closer. "Now, I know you can be just as protective as I am, but...That mutt's still stalking around these parts. If I don't get'em, you gotta!"

"What if it doesn't show up again?" He knew he'd have to go out sooner or later and let himself play in the wilds, but this time further away and beyond the Wastes, where he could get out some of the pent up hunting instincts and avoid detection by the WRO. He really did enjoy hunting things, but humans weren't on the menu unless they had it coming.

Barret shook his head. "We'll find it sooner or later. See, they're gonna train a batch of dogs that won't run away from the scent of a werewolf! The first ones are gonna be near WRO buildings, but eventually they should be able to sweep the city. That werewolf I bagged will be used for that, and the science department's interested in it, too."

Cloud's thoughts went back to the dog outside the garage the other night. It knew he was in there, but the human didn't pick up on it. Talk of scientists made Cloud's skin crawl, his face showing disgust; Barret knew all too well why. "Keep a close eye on them with that. Before you know it we'd all be werewolves from some mad experiment."

Barret chuckled at the thought. "Yeah, I get you." He scratched the back of his head, pondering. "They say these things reproduce with bodily fluids, scratches and bites, you know? It's a big hazard for someone who does melee fighting..." He had been counting on his fingers the infection routes.

The swordsman crossed his arms. "You're worried Tifa or I are gonna get infected?"

The big man nodded, worry in his eyes. "If either of you get infected...I don't want to see you actin' like those things, eatin' children and murderin' people for fun." He gave a frown, eyes pleading with Cloud to be safe.

Cloud decided to test him just a little, eyes closed as if in thought and a finger to his lower lip. "...What if we didn't end up like those other ones? Could it be possible to control it?"

Barret shook his head. "I really don't know if that's even possible. Well, Denzel's book said something about it, but most of 'em end up like the ones we killed...I'd hope for the best."

Cloud chuckled, relieved that Barret wasn't keen on killing him. Still, he wasn't going to tell him yet. He'd end up alerting Zeph with his shouts, and the boy wasn't ready for that kind of revelation; being rescued by another werewolf after his sister was devoured by one in front of him was some ironic twist. "Would you give us a chance first?" Not that he had much choice right now...

Barret let out a snort of a chuckle. "Either of you get infected, you better tell me. So help me if there's a hair off Marlene's head..."

Cloud put his hands up, wanting him to stop. "I haven't let them down. I'll be damned if anything happens to the kids, or Tifa."

The big man gave a friendly slap to Cloud's bicep, laughing. "I know you'll protect them, man. Listen, I better get goin'. Nanaki's waitin' in the truck, and I'm gonna say goodbye to Marlene..." He looked sad, not wanting to leave his daughter again. Cloud sympathized; his longer delivery routes and his lonesome transformations kept him from his family and he hated it. Barret grabbed the spiky haired man by the neck and roughed up his hair as he tried to release himself from the burly man's grip and failing, then finally released to laughter. "Oh yeah, keep in contact with Evan! He's got all the information on that one werewolf. You two could tag team it."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "...Right." Tomorrow. He'd talk to Evan tomorrow. 

* * *

"Denzel, you think we'll ever meet a werewolf?" Zeph called out to the boy as the adults talked out of sight.

Denzel hummed to himself, swinging his rod. "What if we already did? They look like anyone else most of the time..."

The blonde boy nodded, finishing another swing. "That's true. I guess that's what makes them scary, they could be anyone." He had a disgusted look form on his face. "Bastards..."

Denzel couldn't help but frown. "What if there's good ones out there, that don't eat people?"

Zeph moved his hair out of his face, his black band trying but failing to keep his long bangs out of his face. He looked towards Denzel and snorted. "A good werewolf? Sounds like a fairy tale." He swung again, more forcefully this time. "One of 'em took my sister." Denzel remembered the sorry tale Cloud had told him; this boy went through hell because of Valdt.

 _'One saved you, too.'_ Denzel sighed, practicing his swing. He and Zeph got along most of the time, sometimes horsing around more than Cloud and Tifa liked. Marlene got along with him alright, though he balked at playing tea time with her; Zeph thought pirates might be more fun. But when it came to werewolves and Denzel's prodding on the subject, Zeph's friendly, sad green eyes became hard and determined. "Guess we'll see..."


	21. Revelation and a Gift

Cloud cocked his head, looking at the boxed package Yuffie had asked him to pick up at a WRO facility in the city, and deliver it...to himself. He felt a little nervous while waiting in the building, hoping that there weren't any guard dogs; trained for werewolves or not, they'd know and respond. Fortunately there weren't, and he booked it out of there with the package under his arm. He wondered if one day they'd store his corpse here, scientists prodding him in their experiments. Cloud shuddered at the thought.

The place he was visiting was somewhat sterile and grey, the walls made of metal with blue lights gleaming here and there, and the sparse population of personnel ignored the swordsman as they went about their workday and as he left. He didn't come to this building often, and he hoped to not do so in the future if he could help it. Cloud pondered if the hysteria would get so bad that he'd have to quit deliveries altogether, though perhaps a visit to Reeve would help in the end, the former Shinra executive being the president of the WRO.

It was the last package of the day, and to his great luck it'd have him home by three, considering his early start this morning. The delivery boy placed the package in one of the compartments on Fenrir, and revved the bike up as he sat upon it. As he drove off he remembered that he had promised himself to confront Evan, wanting to get to the bottom of the detective's meddling; he knew Evan knew he was the werewolf. But what's stopping him from going to the WRO, or just outright telling Barret?

He snorted as he drove towards his street, that he would have to trust this acquaintance more than one of his older friends at the moment. Then again, he was being forced to by circumstance more than by his own whims; he didn't fancy the confrontation but he couldn't risk Evan getting the wrong idea about him, even if he did help save Vits. He'd open Yuffie's package later, he wanted to know what Evan was thinking, it being the more curious and pressing of the two.

Pulling up Fenrir in front of The Mireille Detective Agency, he shut off Fenrir and took off his dark goggles and put them in the small front compartment then slid off the black bike. The street was busier, people going this way and that in the warm afternoon; no doubt the bar was getting a good amount of business right now. He walked up to the new door and knocked, hearing a "come in" after the third wrap. He opened the door and let himself in.

Evan sat at his desk with a surprised look on his face, obviously not expecting Cloud to be the one to come to him; his surprise turned to dread as the swordsman clicked the lock to the front door. Cloud looked back towards him, then made his way to the chair in front of the wooden desk piled with papers. Both of them knew instinctively this was the day both had wanted and also wanted to avoid, as if it would ruin some delightful impasse.

"Evan..." He greeted. "Barret told me to come to you for information on the second werewolf." His arms were crossed and his face was neutral, attempting to not escalate an already possibly explosive conversation.

Evan blinked; despite anticipating the discussion his face still drained of color. "...Did he?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. You're a detective, right? You've been on the case since the rampage the other month..."

"I have." Evan steadied himself.

Cloud leaned his hands on his knees, looking straight into Evan's eyes. "Right. So, I figure you've put everything together by now." He rubbed his collar. "With the clothing scraps..." He took out his WRO card. "With this...Thanks for returning this, by the way..." Before he could continue, Evan interrupted him.

"...You didn't go on an overnight delivery that night. V-You were seen going to the alley that night by a witness. I didn't understand why your clothing was everywhere, until that night I overheard Nanaki talking to you. You're the one who followed me from Valdt's building, and he followed your scent. And when he kidnapped Vits and you came over, you were a little slow in covering those...teeth of yours." Evan narrowed his eyes at Cloud, finally at the dreaded reveal.

Cloud leaned back, poking a canine with his gloved finger with a frown. "Didn't know you noticed..." He mumbled. Looking up and slightly to the side, he added, "Yeah, I passed Vits that night, didn't I?" Evan tensed at the child's name, the werewolf being rather casual about everything. Cloud shrugged, and looked back into his eyes. "He's not here, is he?"

"...No."

"Good." Cloud didn't need more ears than Evan's. "You probably want to know why I killed Valdt's men, don't you?" He raised a brow, and Evan nodded slowly in response, still tense. "Because, like you uncovered...They were after Yuffie. She was tazed, hard, right in front of me. Then they started talking about what they were gonna do to her." His face warped into an expression of disgust.

"I saw Yuffie running from that direction, not too long after you had passed by." Evan put a hand to his chin.

Cloud nodded. "She's not good at playing charades. Can't really talk when I'm like that."

Evan raised a brow. "...And that's why she called off the search. She knows. Tifa knows."

Another nod. "Yeah. Zeph's the only one in the house that doesn't know..." Cloud turned his head, a guilty look on his face. "I don't think he's ready for that."

The detective relaxed some, the tension diffused somewhat. "You stayed inside the house the night of the Full Moon, didn't you?"

"Not much choice, after they sweeped the whole damn area."

Evan snorted. "You're the complete opposite of Valdt...You always were, but..." Evan grabbed some papers, reading them. He jammed them into the paper shredder next to his desk, the machine ripping them apart. "I guess the second werewolf met his end by Cloud Strife a week into the future, with help from Evan Townshend."

Cloud's face relaxed, a smile forming on his face. "I owe you. A lot."

Evan shook his head. "You came to help rescue Vits despite my work on the case. I didn't know if you had some sort of ulterior motive, since most information on werewolves is...Negative to say the least." He lifted himself up, his fine silver gun hanging from its leather holster. He remembered back to the first time he met Nanaki, his violent reaction to the beast taking out his own vehicle. Despite it, the wise creature came to their rescue when Kyrie needed it the most. That memory stuck with him the most as his investigation went into the fantastic, keeping his opinions of Cloud open, even if he was worried.

Cloud lifted himself up as well, nodding. "I've heard the same." He sighed, putting a hand to his hip. "I just want to live in peace with my family. I don't know if I'll get that wish, but I'm gonna try for it at least."

The detective came from behind his desk, raising an arm. "I hope you do. I'll keep you up to date if anything seems out of place."

Cloud took his hand, giving a smile. "Call me if you need anything involving a sword..."

Evan chuckled. "Maybe, Vits has no idea how to use his blade."

The swordsman groaned. "Fine. I'm teaching Denzel and Zeph, bring him over tomorrow afternoon." He paused a moment, looking down; he then looked back up at the detective with a furrowed brow. "Make sure he knows not to swing that thing wildly..."

* * *

"...So, what did Yuffie send you?" Tifa asked, hands on her hips and her head cocked to the side. Cloud had come home during a slump, and he had told her of his talk with Evan, and the strange package. She was happy that they could reform their usual relations with the detective, the man having been both a help and a pain since they met him several years ago. She mused that it must be some sort of cycle with him.

Cloud shrugged, looking at the package as he sat on the edge of the bed. He silently opened it up, and peeked inside to some dark grey material; slipping it out of the box it seemed to be something to wear. He rolled it out, and it was some sort of oversized, robe-like thing with a flawed materia over the chest piece. Cloud frowned, unsure what to make of it. Tifa looked into the box, and noticed a piece of paper stuck inside. She took it out, and began to read with a slight imitation of Yuffie's voice.

 _ **Hey Furball!**_

 _ **After the WRO collected that freak's robe, I wanted to have a better one made for you! Don't worry, it was made in Wutai. It's got some protective padding and the fabric breathes so you won't overheat when you want to scare sweet little ninjas again. Yep! It's so you can walk around and change and stuff. Vincent mentioned it when I got to talking to him while you were busy talking with Tifa...Anyway! The materia equipped is sort of like an altered Transform materia...Okay, I cracked it, but the mini spell works enough to shrink it to about your size. I tested it a lot! Consider it a really early birthday present. Text me when you get it!**_

 _ **Yuffie**_

Cloud raised his brows as he stood up, the fabric trailing on the ground. "Huh." He looked down the hall, the bedroom door open; he heard and smelled no one, the children out playing. He looked back at Tifa. "I want to try it." She blushed, but nodded in agreement that he should test it out. Cloud began to strip, Tifa closing the door in case the kids came rushing into the house. Naked, he looked at the outfit, finally deciding he was supposed to slip through the oversized neck hole.

The whole thing was much too large for him, the neck hole showing part of his chest as he stood there, feet through the Wutaian style pant legs and hands covered by fabric. He frowned a moment as he struggled with it, finally situating himself and focusing on the damaged materia Yuffie had placed in the chest shield. _'Please don't shrink me instead...'_

The outfit shimmered, and soon he had a very comfortable outfit that he could easily walk in, not too tight, not too loose, shoulder pads accentuating his upper body and belts hanging from his torso. He tried on the hood, and it was loose and kept his spikes from being noticeable. The pantlegs still covered his feet softly, but if he were to wear this for its intended purpose, he wasn't going to be wearing footwear...The thought brought his eyes to Tifa, a slight blush on his face. "I...want to try it out..."

"You don't want me here?" Her face was red.

Cloud matched her blush, turning his head. "It's still embarrassing in front of you..."

Tifa smiled. "It's okay if you don't want to, in front of me. Just tap on the door when you want me back in." She gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek, then left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Right..." He focused, and soon a familiar heat rose up to greet him, and he grunted softly as it gleefully twisted his body under the loosening fabric, a short muzzle appearing from under the hood, his body growing to properly fit the original length of the garment as his muscles grew and ankles elongated, and lengthened arms and claws poked out of the armholes. The noise of humans outside came to his pointy ears, and he blocked it out; there would be time to hunt animals soon enough.

Cloud looked at the mirror on the bedroom door, studying himself. He certainly looked sinister enough, a tall, deadly looking monster with a lankier build than Valdt, but his concerns months ago seemed to have dissolved recently; this form was becoming a second body to him. Done investigating himself, he lightly tapped a claw on the door, and Tifa quietly came in.

"Hmm..." She walked around him, putting her hands here and there to test the fabric, feeling his furry body underneath. "It looks like it fits pretty well, I think..." Tifa thought a moment in front of Cloud, then looked up at him, his head cocked. "...You said you could understand me in the garage...Cloud, nod if you understand me." She waited for his response.

He slowly nodded after a moment, as if making sure he had heard her properly.

"Great! Can you, um, get on all fours...?" She was blushing at the request, swinging her hips shyly.

Cloud looked at her and released a snort, complying with her request. The hood got in the way of his sight, and he tried shaking it away with a grumble. Tifa moved it off his head, glancing her fingers through blonde fur as she did so; she swore a hum came from his throat as she did so.

"Well, that seems to be the only issue... Can you walk in it?" Her hands were on her hips now.

He took a few tentative steps, then went a little faster with the short amount of space he had. The fabric was raised too high for him to stumble. Cloud got up, and tried walking on two legs, the hunched creeping used to pacing the room. No issues, the fabric made very little noise. Was this stuff used for Wutai ninjas? Tifa came back up to him again, double-checking the outfit and then studying Cloud's face, finally seeing it properly in the light. He tried to move, but she held her hands firmly.

"Let me see you for once, not in a picture or in the dark..."

His face wasn't all that scary once you got used to it and he wasn't looking to kill you, Tifa decided. The snout wasn't very long, but still broad and wolfish, fangs sticking out slightly from his closed mouth. His face was a dark yellowish brown and devoid of fur, but all around were familiar blonde spikes, some facing downward on the sides of his head and poking by his pointed ears on the top of his head. He was obviously frowning at her, his familiar cerulean irises swimming in pitch black sclerae looking back into her warm, ruby eyes. His dark nose seemed to be softly sniffing the air, as if unsure of her reaction.

"You aren't that scary to me...Not anymore, anyway." She said lowly, brushing her palm on his leathery forehead. Tifa gave him a shy smile, thinking about how far they'd come in such a short while. The werewolf closed his eyes, as if in thought, as she stood next to him.

The next thing she knew, Cloud was back to his old self, as if his bestial visage had simply deflated quickly. He opened his eyes, then blinked a few times. Looking at Tifa, he nodded his approval of the garment, ignoring her surprise. "It feels really nice. I guess the hood is the only trouble, but I can pull that back first." He unceremoniously removed himself from the outfit, wearing only the necklace with his ring dangling from it.

"It was really thoughtful of Yuffie to get this made for you...I wonder how she got the dimensions right, though?" Tifa pondered her question to herself as Cloud dressed himself, leaving his pauldron and side sash off, not needing them around the house.

"I have no idea, but this was a great gift from her...If I need to go out, I can wear this instead of ruining my clothing." He tied his boots up, a small smile on his face. Maybe he'd wear it tomorrow morning, wanting to release that pent up desire to kill something with his claws and teeth...

Tifa nodded. "Well, I better get downstairs. I'm surprised no one's come in yet..." She paused a moment. "Are you teaching the boys today? I'm helping Marlene some..."

Cloud shook his head. "Not today, Teef. Tomorrow afternoon I'm gonna train them again, and Vits." He hoped to Gaia Vits wasn't as excitable as Zeph when it came to learning about weapons. Yesterday had been slightly painful to the man.

"Hm, well if you think you can handle three at a time." She turned to leave, Cloud shaking his head as he left with her.

"I know I can't, but I'll try anyway."

As they reached the bottom of the stairwell Zeph, Denzel and Marlene came in through the front door, The adults asking about the children's afternoon, and the children asking when they'd practice more. "Tomorrow afternoon, guys. Vits is joining us."

"Vits?" Zeph remembered him; he was Evan's child, the one kidnapped by Valdt that lead to the daring rescue.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. hopefully you guys are a little safer tomorrow, if just for my sake."

Denzel let out a giggle, remembering accidentally cracking the delivery boy in the knee yesterday. "After you train him not to, maybe."

"...Just try and not horseplay with those things."


	22. Penelope

Junon is actually rather close to Edge, and was explained in a novel that when the lifestream appeared at the end of FF7, it changed the landscape; one of these is there is now a passage between Junon and Edge. Neat, huh?

* * *

"So, if you and Cloud are married, does that mean there'll be a baby next?" Marlene was blushing and giggling at Tifa as Cloud spoke to the boys, the children finally discussing what the two adults shyly wouldn't. The swordsman obviously heard her question, looking back with red cheeks at the little girl as they talked in Cloud's office; after dinner the family went up to help Zeph catch up to Denzel's grade for the next school year. Marlene decided to mention the reason they were sporting new rings, the boys oblivious on account of their new obsession with weapons; cool weapons take precedent over romance and cooties.

Tifa blushed, obviously flustered by the question. "I, uh, I have no idea, Sweetie!" she said in a slightly panicked voice. The two boys snickered at her response, Cloud coughing to get back their attention to his talk as he showed his ring to them. Zeph tentatively touched it, and Denzel cocked his head, blue eyes on the whitish bauble.

"What's it made out of?" The young boy asked. It looked almost like silver.

"White gold. They put other metals into the gold, and it turns it this color." Cloud knew why Denzel was asking the question. "...As to why, I think it looks better on Tifa and I than yellow gold." He shrugged, not a fashion expert.

"Took you long enough..." Denzel mumbled with a small smile. Cloud snorted at the boy's remark, secretly agreeing with him nonetheless; he had taken a long time to do it.

Zeph looked up to Cloud, a question on his lips. "How come you don't wear it on your finger, like Tifa?"

 _'So I don't break it when I turn into nightmare fuel...'_ Is what he wanted to say. "It'd feel weird under my glove..." Cloud said, rubbing his covered finger. The boy seemed satisfied with the answer, going back to the spreadsheet in front of him as he sat cross legged on the floor.

The family helped the boy study before bed, the subject boring the two other children: Math. By the time they had to go to bed, he had worked out some of his multiplication tables, deciding to go back to it tomorrow morning when his brain didn't feel like mush. Zeph was more interested in the training he'd do in the afternoon, even if it was hot and getting a little humid because of the proximity to the shore. Tifa and Cloud tucked him in, the child growing fonder of the couple that took him in for whatever strange reason; he had only known them almost two weeks now.

He still felt his situation surreal. What was the catch? He still had his nightmares from time to time and one of the adults would come in to his room to comfort him, hinting they suffered from them sometimes, too. Tifa made sure he never missed a meal, and his scrawny body was finally putting on weight after several years of scavenging for food with his sister. Marlene and Denzel had taken to him almost immediately, the girl sassy yet supportive, the boy happy to have someone around his age to hang out with, an optimistic smile on his face many an afternoon. Cloud wasn't home all the time, but when he was he would show the boy his maps and now was teaching him how to properly use a weapon.

It made Zeph feel guilty.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Cloud was giving him an inquiring look, Tifa having left for the bedroom after wishing him good night.

Zeph fidgeted under his covers, a sad look on his face. "I'm still not used to...this. After everything, it feels so strange, and...Fiore..." He looked to the side.

Cloud remembered, 'Fiore' was the name of Zeph's sister. The feeling of helplessness almost destroyed him two years ago; whereas Cloud hadn't had excuse in his mind before realizing it wasn't at all his fault, Zeph was but a child. "You feel guilty for having a home now..."

The child nodded.

Cloud sighed. "It's nothing to feel guilty about...We've all lost people that died too soon, under horrible circumstances. Your sister..." He shook his head, a heavy expression on his face. "Live your life to the fullest for her, alright? You don't have to be forgiven for something that isn't your fault."

Zeph stayed silent, a doubtful frown on his face. He reminded Cloud of himself, too much.

Rising from the bed, Cloud patted the boy's shoulder. "Just keep it in mind. And if you need us because it still hurts, just ask us to listen." He went to the door, clicking the light off. "Night, kiddo."

"Night, Cloud."

* * *

"So, you're really going to go out this morning?" Tifa had pondered if he was going to take the early morning trip to the forests in the Junon area. She laid on her back, looking at the ceiling as she touched her ring for the thousandth time that day.

Cloud nodded, laying on his side, facing her. "I was so pent up in the garage the other night." Tifa can soothe a beast with a serene smile and gentle hands, but a beast still has killing urges that need to be acted on. Not that he minded the thought anymore...He frowned a moment, wondering how much he had changed in a few short months. He was still him, but...There was an added wild element from the lycanthropy.

He was starting to enjoy changing, and he didn't mind what he looked like anymore. He enjoyed hunting, even if he only did it once so far. He really enjoyed being able to smell emotions and especially Tifa, her scent immediately calming him or sending him into a frenzy if she was in the mood for his company. Maybe he missed old tastes that he used to enjoy, but meat tasted so much better. His only issue would be working on his cognitive abilities and being able to warp his voice box enough to speak, in time.

"Just be careful, Cloud..." She looked towards him, her eyes showing some concern.

He gave a reassuring smile and embraced her hands as they laid on her abdomen. "I'll be fine, Teef."

* * *

Having slept for a good part of the night, Cloud awoke around three, facing a sleeping Tifa. He gave a kiss to her forehead and gently snuck out of bed, not wanting to possibly wake her despite her ability to sleep heavily. Searching about the dark room, he found his precious robe; he had happily texted to Yuffie that he had gotten the gift and loved it, her responses questions as to it working as intended or other such questions, each replied positively.

Cloud put it on and focused on the materia, quickly bringing it to a suitable shape for his human body. Thinking, he collected a pair of socks and his boots; he'd wear them for protection on his bike. Creeping down the hallway barefoot, he listened for the children, occasionally being light sleepers, especially Zeph. The boy didn't enjoy sleeping all that much just yet, but he seemed not to stir. Cloud made his way down the stairs, trying Denzel's footpath again with more success.

He opened up the garage door and let himself into the darkness, letting out a little sigh. Cloud focused on his socks and then his boots, working away at his laces as he knotted them up. Coming up to Fenrir, he slowly moved the bike towards the garage door, slowly opening it and letting himself out. He'd give himself some space between the sleeping street and his soon to roar vehicle, closing the door and pushing Fenrir out of the side alley and onto the main street.

Cloud walked the bike, thinking about his life as a werewolf so far. At first he was horrified at the thought, the things he might possibly do to others, or what he'd become. Now, he knew his family had his back; Denzel's werewolf query possibly saving him from doing the unthinkable in his home. Several months later, and Cloud felt mostly confident in his ability to control himself, though he was certain if he was in a crowd of unknown humans it wouldn't end very well at all, still.

He supposed things could be worse. He still needed to have a talk with Reeve so the WRO hunters would ease up on his territory; he could take on any other werewolf, especially with his swords, and it wouldn't risk someone else converting as well. Sighing as he reached the central plaza of Edge, Cloud sat himself on his bike, turned it on, and began his drive towards the wilds beyond Junon.

* * *

 _'Finally here...'_ Cloud felt rather upbeat, daybreak still an hour or two away but the low twilight of dawn wouldn't break into these forests far out from Junon for some time. He had taken his boots off and placed his keys in a little hidden pocket in the abdomen padding; he guessed ninjas think of everything. Cloud quickly made his way into the forest after making sure Fenrir was hidden enough, then took off his hood when he was sure he was deep enough in.

He let his body change as he focused, hunching down as his digits and bones reformed and his snout picked up new smells as he completed his transformation...Deer. He salivated, then went sniffing for a trail; they were close by. He sniffed some more, smelling moss, running water, decaying leaves and the trails of other animals. He could burn off some of this savagery that hungered in his chest, and he stalked the underbrush for his quarry.

Off he went, looking, sniffing, hearing, feeling the ground with the pads of his strange paws. The fabric hadn't had an impact on his stealth, making him muse yet again about Wutaian ninjas as he creeped about. A noise came to his ears, still far off; he turned towards that direction, stalking for an unknown amount of time to the beast. The smell of deer became stronger, and Cloud felt his instincts excite as his senses told him where to go.

Deeper he went, the woods becoming darker as he moved along. Not that it was an issue for him, easily picking up hints of movement in the underbrush. Coming across a low lit clearing of brush with any light filtered by the canopy of ancient trees, he saw them; deer. The breeze that had made it through the forest blew favorably for him; they wouldn't pick up his scent. Still, they seemed a little jittery, as if hunted often. Ignoring the thought, Cloud silently waited upon a large boulder surrounded by vegetation for a chance to kill.

Some minutes later and one of the larger deer had slowly made its way towards Cloud's position, lazily chewing and clomping about as if it owned the forest. He admired the animal a moment; its rack was still growing with a layer of velvet covering the antlers. Cloud tensed, then swiftly made contact with the beast's back. He used his velocity to knock the surprised animal onto its side, then violently shook the neck in its jaws; the force eventually snapped the creature's neck as it kicked at the werewolf.

He sat there over his prize, his mouth pooling the deer's blood as its comrades escaped into thicker woods. Gently, Cloud placed the head down and studied the beast some more, the blood flowing into the ground as he licked his teeth. His stomach grumbled, and he obliged the grumbling organ, tearing into a leg hungrily and tasting raw, gamey venison for the first time. It suited his new palette, the bloody meat sating what he couldn't during the Full Moon.

* * *

Vivid green eyes watched from a hiding spot in the clearing; she had been hunting for deer to sate her blood lust and acquire foodstuffs for her mate and she. She was worried. Were werewolves from Junon encroaching on her territory now? City wolves were never friendly, always crafty brutes; one changed her out of spite so long ago, after all.

This one had surprised her. It had barrelled on top of a large deer, and killed the beast rather quickly, a strange trait. What's more, it seemed to be wearing something...Some werewolves wore large robes for city excursions where they needed to be one form or another, but as she sneaked closer to the preoccupied being, it seemed a more refined clothing. She took a sniff of the shifting wind; it was a male that smelled of dusty wastes and...humans. She cocked her head. Not human blood or flesh, just humans. How come?

Emboldened, she stalked closer, getting a better picture of this new werewolf. Spiky blonde hair, brownish face. Were his eyes closed during his feeding? She was fifty feet away now. Should she attack, should she go back home? A male werewolf could easily overpower her. She would find her mate before confronting this intruder, hopefully without having much trouble...

The male looked up, his eyes open and looking at her, paused in his feeding. The eyes eerily glowed blue and showed no emotion except for surprise, his jaw half open as a clawed hand gripped the deer's torso. Oh no. She backed away, averting her eyes and shrinking down; hopefully the act would quell the other werewolf. Hopefully it wouldn't try to touch her, try to kill her in a tussle for territory...

* * *

 _'...Another werewolf?'_ Cloud had thought he had heard some soft tapping upon the ground in front of him; he had looked up towards the noise to a green eyed, brown furred werewolf that was obviously appraising him. Surprised there was another out here, he made his way towards the smaller wolf with a growl, its positioning obviously a sign of submission. The beast looked back, a worried look to its eyes, and Cloud snorted. Is it afraid of him? He sniffed the air around it. Fear...She smelt like leaf litter and river rocks, and someone else...

She whined, and he looked about for any other possible werewolves, not wanting to be taken by surprise again. Standing on his hind legs he focused, then reformed as his usual self, blood smeared on his face from his feeding. Then, he focused on the materia in his robe, and let it shrink. The female had watched, surprise in her eyes as the robe warped to suit the wearer's dimensions.

Cloud cleared his throat. "...Hey. You can understand me, right?" The werewolf in front of him cocked her head, and then retreated to the nearby underbrush. A few moments later and a young woman's face and shoulders appeared, her soft eyes still fearful of the man in front of her and long brown locks cascading down her shoulders.

* * *

"I, um...These are my woods, so..." That could have come out so much better. She was never good with confrontations, another reason she hid out in the forest; less competition to hound her.

The strange male scratched the back of his head, shocking her with his words. "Sorry. I didn't know they were occupied...I really needed to hunt."

"Um...You're a city wolf, right?" Her brows were knitted together.

He nodded. "Yeah, Edge." He sat down in front of her on the cool ground.

She blinked. "...You don't hunt there?"

"What would I hunt, exactly?" His voice became accusatory, his eyes narrowing.

She paled, not enjoying the dangerous look on his face. "W-well...Most werewolves that live in or around cities and towns hunt humans, right?" The young woman was wearing a frown.

He shook his head, a disgusted look on his face. "I live with humans, I don't eat them."

The girl smiled, the man raising a brow as she clapped her hands together hidden in the bush. "You don't! I knew you had a weird smell!"

"Weird smell?" He sniffed his hand, not really picking up on what she meant; he smelled like him. She let out a small giggle.

"You smell like humans. Do you have a family?" She creeped out from the bush, uncaring of her naked form, the brush was there in case she needed cover.

The other werewolf turned beet red and covered his eyes. "Y-yeah.." He sniffed, pausing then asked her a question back. "You smell like you're not alone."

Crouching in such a way that her legs covered her breasts and privates, the female werewolf nodded. "My um, my mate. I mean I call him that, and he seems fine with it..." It was her turn to blush.

"You're with a normal person, too?" He dared to look towards her again, finally covered in a way. His blush didn't let up, still.

"Yeah. He's been with me since...since this happened to me, when I was a lot younger." She looked down, obviously thinking of some bitter memory.

"...I see." The man sat there, looking at the ground for a time, then into the young woman's eyes, surprised to apparently meet another werewolf like him; the feeling seemed mutual.

"...My name's Cloud."

"I'm Penelope." She twirled some of her hair around a finger.

Cloud chuckled. "That's not a very wolfish name."

"Neither is Cloud!" She rocked softly as she sat. "Wanna see my home?"

He nodded, standing up. He gave her his hand, though he again averted his eyes; this one seemed to have no shame at all. She took it, bounding towards the north, and Cloud followed; he was happy to finally meet another werewolf that wasn't some vile monstrosity.


	23. Wolf in the Mists

"So, this is where you live, huh?" Cloud came upon a clearing with the young female, her long hair fortunately covering her backside as he trailed behind her. They hadn't traveled too far, perhaps a half mile or so into the forest. The clearing brought morning light to dewy grass and a small wooden cabin in the dark corner bordering the other side of the forest; what looked like a few fruit trees dotted the other side. This was hidden from the world? He envied the serenity of it.

Penelope looked up and back towards Cloud with a proud smile, her freckles dotting her cheeks. "Yeah. We made it a long time ago, my mate and I. We got tired of living in a tent, so we worked really hard on this." They walked closer towards the small habitat, the walls made of dark wood and the roof made of patches of sheet metal and what seemed to be animal hides. She pointed sheepishly at the cabin. "Well, we could never get hinges, so... We used monster hide for the door. Not like we get many visitors, anyway."

He sniffed the air; he loved the smell of dew on grass. Cloud smelled the hides from the cabin, too; a werewolf out here could get a lot of kills. "...Do you ever get visitors?"

She turned her head. "Not really, actually..." Penelope scratched her pale arm. "You're the first in a really long time."

They came up to the cabin, a simple dirt floor meeting Cloud's eyes as he peered past the scaly monster hide door. This place could be so much more, he thought. Penelope put a finger up, as if to say 'one moment!' and disappeared into the shack. Cloud stood outside looking towards the opposite end of the clearing, hands on his hips as he patiently waited on the other werewolf to finish her business. Some wind blew gently through the grass and tiny orchard, the sounds of shuffling hide behind him.

He thought he saw movement at the treeline, and a moment later a young man came through the clearing, his steps quick, towards Cloud. He cocked his head, uncertain of this boy; the wind wasn't blowing the right way. He looked to be about Penelope's age or perhaps slightly older, his hair black and somehow cut short and rough, and as he got closer Cloud realized he had an eye hue similar to Tifa's if not more brown. He wore what seemed to be a hide poncho and holey jeans, and a small wicker basket on his back. There was a sharp knife in his hand.

"Who're you?" The teen asked forcefully, obviously alarmed at the strange male's appearance. His slightly tanned face was warped in an angry frown, and he was holding the knife in a more battle ready position, or so it seemed. Cloud put his hands up as if to diffuse the tense situation, he didn't feel like showing the youth how out of his league he really was.

"Cloud. Penelope brought me here." he stated with no emotion.

"Ithey?" Penelope's voice chimed from the cabin.

"Penelope!" The boy disappeared into the little shack, mumbled words being exchanged between them. A minute later, they reappeared in front of Cloud, Ithey's face more neutral. The girl was fully clothed in makeshift hide clothing, Cloud happy he finally didn't have to avert his eyes every time she faced him. "You're like Penelope, huh?"

Cloud nodded.

"A city wolf that doesn't wanna eat me...Guess it was bound to happen some day." His voice was dry.

"Hope I'm not disappointing you..." Cloud raised a brow. Ithey snorted as Penelope let out a sigh.

"Guys..." She was pleading with them to stop sizing each other up. Penelope looked up towards the new werewolf, her green eyes staring into Cloud's cerulean ones. He raised one of his brows, as if ready for whatever question she could have for him. "Cloud, when did you become a werewolf? What happened to you?"

He kicked the ground. "...Around four months ago, I was scratched by some werewolf outside Nibelheim while returning from a delivery...My kids are nosy, fortunately, and had me looking up werewolves in secret out of worry." He let out a small snicker. "I thought it was in secret, at least. Anyway, I hid away during my first transformation, and I've been slowly getting better at controlling it since." Cloud crossed his arms, looking at the girl. "You?"

Penelope looked down. "I was twelve when I got bit, in Junon. The werewolf said it was punishment for my...drug addicted parents not paying back a loan, and they'd learn their lesson on the next Full Moon. Ithey...He tricked me into a locked warehouse, stayed next to the metal door all night, trying to talk to me. Somehow, he got through to me during the night...Eventually we knew we couldn't stay in the city any longer, and we made our way out towards the country."

Cloud raised his brows. "How long has it been since you were bit, then?"

Ithey spoke up. "Five years. We've lived like hermits since."

"Like this...?" Cloud frowned; despite their obvious support for each other they barely had anything, he was surprised they even found sheet metal.

Ithey crossed his arms, narrowing his burgundy eyes. "It's what we have. We don't have a city outside our front door with amenities, you know."

"Ithey..." Penelope pleaded.

Cloud put a finger to his chin, thinking. He'd help them out, if they wanted. "Do either of you know anything about curing hides?

They both nodded. "I do it all the time!" Penelope said. Ithey cocked his head, wondering where this would go.

"I'll come back in a week, and if you have a batch of cured hides, I'll trade them in the city for you, and buy what you need from the shops around with the money. Does that sound good?" Hides were sometimes very much needed in the city for various purposes; civilization still hadn't completely recovered from the last four years of threats, and these two would get needed items to improve their living space.

The two looked at each other, the offer surreal after five years of isolation. "You're not gonna just pocket the cash and bolt?" Ithey asked, the teen hopeful but skeptical.

"...There's two incomes in my house, mine and my wife's. I wouldn't have a need for it." It'd be pocket change compared to some of the pay he got for his longer deliveries, or ones into dangerous areas. "So, are you going to take my offer?"

They both nodded happily, grateful that they'd have a link to the outside world, one that wouldn't be a risk to them. Penelope put her finger up in a query. "Could you bring a pen and maybe a cheap notebook with you, too? So we could make a list."

Cloud nodded. They didn't have cellphones here, obviously. "Alright. I'll be back in a week." Penelope giggled, and he frowned at her. "What's wrong?"

"You might wanna clean up a little first..." He had forgotten about his breakfast. 

* * *

_Thwack!_ Vits practiced his form, his blade a slight bit longer than Zeph's, the boy practicing next to him to show him how it was done. Evan watched as he sat next to Cloud, backs to the stone wall of the alley. The detective looked over at the swordsman, wiping his brow with a handkerchief.

"I'm wondering if he'll even need it at this point..." Evan mumbled.

Cloud shrugged. "They're a bit young for weapons, but it's still good to know how to defend yourself."

The detective nodded his head. "Yeah. We can't be there for them all the time, can we?"

The swordsman shook his head. He got up, and moved towards the two boys. Denzel was to the side, hitting at a makeshift monster made of old fabric, wooden boxes and cheap crummy pillows. The Zeph and Vits stopped what they were doing, looking up towards Cloud. "Okay...You guys have that down...Now we're gonna work on a slash."

He took out one of his smaller blades from his sword harness, and slowly made the motion he wanted them to do in the air in front of him. "Like this...Let it glide in front of you." He watched as the children did their best, shaking his head as they didn't quite make it, then going behind them and fixing their forms, letting them swing again. "Better. Keep at it."

Cloud went over to Denzel next, the boy practicing a jab move to the top of the target. He went behind him and softly positioned the boy's arms slightly, telling him to jab up like that now. Denzel did, and he noticed there was a lot more force. Satisfied, Cloud went to sit next to Evan, watching all three children again.

"Have you been practicing with your gun any?" He looked down and then back up towards the detective's face.

Evan took his gun out, the safety on, and looked it over. "Last practice I had with it was with Valdt."

Cloud let out a small chuckle. "I don't know too much about handguns, only military rifles."

As the adults chatted about weapons, the boys continued their attempts at an offensive slice, sometimes doing it just right and other times swinging much too hard. Vits sighed in frustration, unsure if he was improving or not. Zeph seemed more confident. "I don't know how you can be so gung-ho about this, Zeph." Vits said after another swipe.

"I'm not gonna let another werewolf hurt anyone around me. Or any other monsters, either." He did another swipe, trying to make the blade glide just right.

"I doubt there's gonna be any more attacks, the WRO did a sweep, didn't they?"

"Yeah, but that one got away."

Vits nodded, trying again. Neither of them knew about Cloud and Evan's agreement, but both understood the importance of defense after their imprisonment; even if Vits was only held for a couple of hours, it still terrified him.

Valdt had torn the door off their home, waking the boy with a start. He had hid himself on the other side of the bed, holding his small lamp as he heard strange, heavy footsteps and laughing growls grow closer, his door almost exploding from impact with the creature that met Vits' eyes. He had immediately thrown the lamp as it came into view, and then froze, thinking his days were finally numbered. Everything went dark, and then he woke up in that underground Hell.

"I wonder why he thought Evan was another werewolf." Vits mused. He knew it wasn't the case, of course.

Zeph shrugged, then did another swipe, Cloud telling him to raise the blade just a little more on his next swing. "...Nanaki said he was mistaken, there wasn't another werewolf there."

"Just seems weird...Maybe Nanaki was wrong?" Valdt had to have known something.

The other boy stayed silent, thinking as he sliced. Who was right, then? Valdt or Nanaki? Cloud and Tifa trusted the red beast, but...What if someone there was the werewolf? Maybe it was that creepy looking guy with the long black hair...He didn't look like the one everyone was worried about, though.

Cloud walked over to them, Evan behind him. "Alright you guys, I think you've trained enough today. I'll teach you some more in a couple of days, until then, keep practicing...Safely." His face was stern, still cringing from Vits almost stumbling the blade into his chest earlier, a shoelace tripping him.

Entering the house through the garage after saying his goodbyes to Evan and Vits, he came to Tifa as she worked the bar with Marlene. She looked up, giving him a bright smile that he returned. "Hey. You still haven't told me how your little hunt went this morning." He had told her he'd say later, trying to get cleaned up and dressed in normal clothing before one of the children noticed; Cloud hadn't wanted to play twenty questions with the children when he got back after lunch.

He looked around, making sure no one could hear. "I'll give the details later, but...I met another one."

Her eyes widened and her face became serious. "Another one? Was it like..." Her brows knotted together with worry.

Cloud shook his head. "No. Like me, for once."

Tifa's brows immediately went up, her mouth slightly open in surprise. "Well, now I'm really curious." She gave a small, giddy laugh.

"I promise. We'll talk about it before bed. It's just too...active right now." Cloud looked around again, the boys' feet clomping about in the garage, Denzel and Zeph discussing their training.

Tifa nodded, and returned to her work, her eyes lost in thought. Cloud made his way up the stairs, wanting to take a small nap after the day's excursions. He'd help Tifa in the bar afterwards, the afternoon not too terribly busy just yet. 

* * *

"So..." Tifa began, resting on her back in the dark. The evening had been busy, the children and Cloud assisting during the dinner rush and taking orders and bringing food and drinks until closing time. Denzel had kept the bar relatively clean, wiping the counter and sweeping the floor as Tifa worked on their dinner.

Zeph seemed content to bus tables as customers left, and Cloud only had to bounce one person the entire night; he easily dragged the troublemaker out the front door with not even a grunt. Marlene had stifled a giggle, the swordsman's neutral face showing no emotion as he wordlessly tossed the man out the front door.

"Penelope. That's her name. She lives in the forest, with her boyfriend in a badly made wood shack. She's been like that for five years." Cloud said softly, his hand proping up his head on the bed as he looked towards the far end of the bed.

Tifa moved her head to look at him. "She...didn't try to attack you?"

"No. Seemed scared, actually, until we talked." He looked up at Tifa. "I told them I'd be back in a week. I'd sell their pelts, and then I'd bring them things they needed with the money."

"Hm. I see." Tifa looked back at the ceiling, tapping her fingers on the quilt. "Five years, in the woods? Do they have clothing at least?"

Cloud let out a small chuckle. "Not anything you'd wear into a town or city." Their clothing was either wrapped up hides or threadbare jeans. Penelope seemed just fine naked, obviously dressing so he would look her in the eyes, but if they would ever want to venture out of the woods they'd need to have more than that.

Tifa sighed, a hand to her forehead with a small smile. "I think I have some old clothing they could wear, you can bring it to them the next time you're out there. They're about our sizes, I hope?"

"Penelope is a little shorter than you if I remember right, and her boyfriend...Ithey, he's a little taller than me. But I think it should be fine...Compared to what they have right now."

"Did she say what happened to her?" Tifa had a small frown on her face, wondering how the girl had ended up like this.

Cloud told her Penelope's story, how she was bit in Junon, and how Ithey had, for some reason helped her. "They moved out into the forest afterward. I guess she was lucky she had a dedicated friend at the time, or she could have killed her family...Not that she seemed attached." He seemed distracted by a smell after he spoke, frowning. Tifa didn't notice as she spoke.

"Maybe that's why you and her-"

"Zeph?" Cloud inquired in the darkness.

He could see the boy clearly in the dark; one moment rubbing his eye and the next looking shocked. "H-How did you know?"

"...I can see in the dark." Came Cloud's dry reply. Tifa was sitting up in the bed, trying to see the boy.

The child took a step back. "Why...?" He only knew of one creature that could see really well in the dark...

Cloud sighed, his blue orbs disappearing momentarily as he blinked slowly. "That's...A long story." The boy seemed unsure still, so he continued. "Do you know what SOLDIER was?"

Zeph paused, thinking. "You were one of those?"

"No, but...I kind of went through the same stuff as they did. And now I can see in the dark."

Zeph scratched his head. "Is that why you can pick up really big swords?"

Cloud chuckled. "Yeah."

Tifa cleared her throat. "Zeph, what did you need? Is everything okay?"

The boy walked up the edge of the bed Cloud noticing his worried expression. "I...had a nightmare, so I was gonna ask for help, and...You guys were talking about werewolves, too..." Cloud noticed the child had a frown on his face.

Cloud rubbed his face, groaning. "...How much did you hear?" He sounded defeated.

"The story about...her. Are you really gonna let one of them live?" He sounded almost angry.

 _'I kind of enjoy living, too.'_ The man sighed, Tifa joining him. "If she's minding her own business and not killing people, yes. I'll let her live."

"Zeph...I don't think they're all out there to do bad things. I know what you went through was terrible, but...Let us figure it out, okay? We're just giving her a chance to prove she isn't like the others." Tifa tried to reason.

Cloud spoke up. "She has a human boyfriend with her, you know."

The boy looked down, Cloud noticing the worried look on his face. He got up from the bed, walking towards Zeph and patting his back softly. "Are you worried about us?" He sounded almost amused.

Zeph nodded. "What if she makes you like her?"

"She won't." Cloud replied. _'She'd be too late for that, anyway.'_ He ushered the child back to his room, tucking him in while the boy talked about his nightmare to Cloud, the werewolf nodding and responding to his questions until he finally started to succumb to sleep again. He silently left the room, shaking his head.

 _'...I hope he finds some peace soon with his past.'_


	24. A Deal Done and a Foul Moon

Cloud wasn't sure if his talk with Zeph helped any; the boy had talked to Denzel and Marlene the morning after, both children failing to hide their excitement at the thought of another werewolf that wasn't interested in eating them. Zeph had been confused to say the least, but they never let Cloud's secret slip. It was just really cool, that was all they said.

"Cool? She could hurt Cloud and Tifa!" Zeph said in the bedroom as Cloud overheard them.

"Cloud beat up that bad werewolf without getting hurt, right?" Marlene was challenging him politely. "And he really wanted Cloud dead!"

"Yeah. He's handled worse than that before." Cloud could almost imagine the shrug Denzel was giving. "If she's friendly, then there's nothing much to worry about."

"I still don't believe it..." Zeph's voice was pouty.

Cloud made out Marlene's tapping foot. "What if Cloud or Tifa were werewolves, right now? Then what?" He cringed. _'Did you have to say that?'_

Zeph didn't respond, and Cloud made his way downstairs to help Tifa with breakfast. Even though he still had trouble cooking he figured she could use a pair of hands to butter toast or grab some fruit. Moseying down to the kitchen, he greeted her quietly as he went to make toast for the children. Cloud would let Tifa deal with the eggs, he could handle bread and a toaster. She looked over at him after checking over the scrambled mess of eggs in her pan and frowned, noticing the faraway look on his face.

"Is everything alright, Cloud?"

He unceremoniously tossed a pair of bread slices into the toaster. "Yeah." Cloud motioned his head upwards. "They were talking about Penelope."

Tifa gave him a half smile, turning to face the eggs and seasoning them. "I guess they were excited, huh?"

"Yeah. Zeph is still a little upset. Marlene asked what he'd do if either of us were...you know." Cloud busied himself with his coffee as he waited for the toast to finish, then fishing the butter out of the fridge. "He didn't really respond after that."

The toast popped out, and he quickly took it out and replaced them with another pair of fresh bread slices. Cloud buttered the hot toast as best he could without destroying it, mentally cursing as he slowly spread the hard but melting fat. Tifa began dividing the eggs on four plates that already had some bacon on it. "I don't think he'd like it at all."

Finished with his work on the toast Cloud cut the slices in half, putting them on two of the plates as he waited for the next batch. "I could imagine." He thought for a moment, brows knotting together. The warrior still had to keep up appearances. "I better have a little fruit on my plate..." He fumbled about the fridge, finding a small package of blueberries; he'd take just a handful, the rest for Tifa's baking or pancakes. _'I miss how her blueberry pancakes used to taste...'_ Sometimes Cloud would put up with fruit or bread or if he really had to, oatmeal, especially after the boy read Denzel's encyclopedia. Zeph was paranoid as they came, always waiting for a werewolf to reveal themselves to him; Cloud really couldn't blame him as it was.

After all, it took he and Tifa time to stop hating the Shinra after all that was done to them, all that was taken away from them. They could understand the fear and hatred after his short stay in a dark hell filled with other terrified children, one they had no chance of ever escaping alive until Valdt was brash enough to kidnap Vits in broad daylight. The foolish small time mobster made the mistake of assuming Evan was another werewolf when it was someone much more dangerous as an enhanced human than he had ever been as a wolf. Or, so Cloud would like to believe; he was unsure if a transformed werewolf could do a spirit attack or not.

The children began to funnel downstairs, and Marlene and Denzel were still talking about the new werewolf and wondering what she looked like. Zeph was frowning with his arms crossed before sitting at his chair. He looked back at the couple behind the counter for a few moments, then towards the window in the front of the bar. Cloud raised a brow at the behavior; the boy was obviously thinking about his conversation with the other two children. Cloud jumped slightly when the toaster spat out the toast, and the warrior turned back to butter and cut them. Tifa gave him a smile as he focused again on his task.

"Thanks for helping with breakfast."

He shrugged a 'no big deal' with a small smile as he finished and divided the toast and placing it on the last of the plates, then picked up the tray and walked towards the table as the children continued to talk.

"You never said what you'd do if Cloud and Tifa were werewolves!" Marlene said, grilling Zeph.

Zeph looked away, blushing. "...I don't know. They aren't, so what does it matter?"

A small grin grew on Denzel's face. "Just curious, since you hate werewolves so much."

Before Zeph could reply, Cloud gently landed a platter of food in front of him, then put the rest of the plates in front of the other two and finally one in front of Tifa's spot. He looked at the three, attempting to ignore the heat in his cheeks. "You guys are chatterboxes this morning," he said jokingly before returning to the galley for his and Tifa's coffee. Cloud returned, walking behind her as she brought out his plate. He sighed as he sat down; Denzel and Marlene were ready to ask him all sorts of questions about the new werewolf that excited them so.

 _'I hope this isn't the flavor of the week...'_

* * *

The week had gone by quickly as Cloud occupied his time with deliveries and training the boys. Now, he was ready to take Tifa to meet Penelope and Ithey. "You ready, Teef?" Cloud looked at her as she came through the garage door. Fenrir was rumbling outside in the alley with Cloud sitting patiently on it. Tifa had insisted on coming to visit the couple halfway through the week, finding clothing she thought they could use the night before and stowing it in one of the bike's compartments. She nodded and swung herself onto the back of the vehicle, holding onto Cloud snugly. He gave one of her hands a squeeze before starting off towards the central plaza, and then towards the forests outside Junon.

The ride had been mostly smooth, and Tifa soaked in the sights since she hadn't been able to leave the city in a while. The dusty wastes became verdant plains, and then lush forests sprouted here and there as they drove on past the new land bridge that appeared after the Lifestream burst through the side of the mountains nearly five years ago. Soon after Cloud took them off the road and towards a particular patch of forest, traveling further and further north until he came upon an opening in the forest that he could fit Fenrir through.

It was a bumpy dirt path, almost hidden from the outside world. The hermit couple had shown him the path, a shortcut to their clearing. Tifa held onto Cloud tighter, the coolness of the forest chilling her. The path wasn't too terribly long, perhaps a mile or so, but the bumpiness forced Cloud to slow down. Soon enough however, they reached the end of the path and into a clearing familiar to Cloud.

Tifa looked about as they slowly pushed closer to the other side of the clearing where a little shack rested. The area was alight with warm rays from the sun, and she noticed two people making their way out of the tiny cabin in front of them as she looked ahead and over Cloud's shoulder. They seemed to be surprised, and she wondered if it was because of the appearance of the motorcycle, or that Cloud had come back as he said he would.

Cloud stopped Fenrir in front of them before disembarking; he took Tifa's hand and assisted her as she hopped off. She smoothed her shorts and looked up towards the wide eyed teens in front of her, giving them a warm smile. The boy seemed as if he was still slightly in shock while the girl beamed and waved her hand. Tifa walked over to them, waving back. "Hi! I'm Tifa."

The girl took a few steps forward, her strange hide garb swaying with her steps. "Hi! I'm Penelope." She looked back at the teen male, pointing at him, then looked towards Tifa again. "That's Ithey. He's just surprised Cloud really came!"

"...And that he brought someone." Ithey's voice was anxious.

Penelope sighed. "She's obviously his mate!"

 _'...Mate? Oh. I guess that makes sense.'_ Tifa rubbed her ring. Snapping out of her thoughts she went back to Fenrir, opening a compartment as Cloud went up to the two.

"I told you I'd be back in a week. Do you have the hides?" Cloud was mildly amused by Ithey's surprise, and the teen folded his arms defensively.

"Of course." Ithey went back into the shack, fumbling about with something in the dark. Cloud hummed to himself, then remembered they had asked for a notebook and pen. He walked over to Penelope, and produced the items out of his pocket: a small travel notebook and a blue ink pen.

"You asked for this..."

Penelope took them gleefully. "Thank you!" She looked down at the items, then blushed. "Um, Ithey'll have to write it out...I...Haven't had much practice since..."

Cloud gently took the pen and notebook. "Do you want me to write your list?"

Penelope nodded enthusiastically, and Cloud jotted down her list of items: scissors, tools, nails, a bucket, needles and thread..."If the money covers it, that is...Maybe some clothing, too."

"You won't have to worry about the clothing," Cloud replied as he finished jotting down her list. She cocked her head, unsure why not. "Tifa brought some of our old clothing. Hopefully it fits."

Tifa came over as he said it, a pile of folded clothing in her arms. "Do you wanna try some of this on?" she chimed to the girl. Penelope gasped happily, then stripped her clothing off. Cloud averted his eyes as his face turned beet red. Tifa blushed as well, hiding her face in the clothing she held. "Y-You don't have to do that here!"

"Penelope, you're supposed to do that in the cabin..." Ithey returned, holding a pile of hides from various beasts, many obviously from monsters and not just deer. Penelope put a hand to her cheek, and silently hid herself in the shack. Ithey sighed, then looked towards Cloud as he focused on the teen in front of him. "Here's the hides." Cloud took them with a nod, then made his way towards Fenrir to place the goods in a side compartment.

Tifa moved to the side of the entrance to the shack, Penelope's arm reaching for a piece of clothing on top of the pile Tifa held. Snatching it, the item slowly went into the darkness of the cabin. "I hope it fits!" Tifa said into the darkness as she leaned on the wall. Ithey observed the pile, a hopeful look on his face. Tifa looked up at the teen. "There's some here for you, too."

Ithey looked at the pile, then he entered the shack. He appeared a few moments later with a makeshift chair made of a split log. "Here...You can put them on here." Tifa nodded in thanks, and placed the clothing on the log before dividing it into two piles.

She pointed at one pile. "This is the men's clothing!"

Penelope and Ithey tried out the various pieces, some too baggy because of the muscle lacking on Ithey, or too long, the Penelope's arms and legs not as long as Tifa's. Still, the two seemed happy with the piles of clothing they had been given, accepting the clothing graciously. Penelope delighted in a casual red dress, and Ithey took to a new pair of black jeans and a baggy white shirt; neither thought they'd feel clean, intact clothing again.

"This is so nice! I don't know how we could repay you for this," Penelope beamed. Cloud and Tifa both shook their heads, neither needing repayment from their new friends, especially considering their situation.

"It's fine, really!" Tifa replied back. Cloud was satisfied with the day's interaction. He wanted to get home before Evan dropped the children off in the evening; they had gone over to play with Vits and Natsumi, the girl they used to call Moogle Girl because of her doll. The swordsman walked towards Fenrir, casually sitting on its seat and putting the keys into the ignition.

He looked up at the couple, nodding. "I'll be back in a few days to drop off the supplies. I have a route to Junon coming up, so I'll drop it off around then." He turned on the bike, patiently waiting for Tifa to finish her goodbyes.

"I hope we get to meet you again, Tifa!" Penelope said. Ithey nodded stoically, a thin smile on his lips.

"Same! Take care, you two!" Tifa waved, then hopped onto Cloud's bike. After a final wave from both parties, they made their way out of the clearing, the sound of the motorcycle fading into the forest.

Penelope and Ithey watched as they disappeared into the dark forest, then turned to each other. They both had goofy smiles on their face, uncharacteristic of Ithey, but usual for the werewolf.

"This is turning out better than I thought it would," Ithey mused.

Penelope laughed. "You're always such a pessimist!" She shoved his shoulder playfully.

He shook his head, still giving her a smile. "I prefer being called a realist." He grabbed her shoulders, giving her a firm squeeze before heading into the cabin with her.

* * *

"So how did it go?!" Marlene was enthusiastic as always. The two boys held opposing expressions; Zeph stern and worried, Denzel's excited as the girl.

Tifa looked over at them as she began preparation for dinner. "It went great! They were really happy to get some new clothing."

Denzel came forward, hands behind his back. "What was she like?"

"She's very sweet, and just a little funny," Tifa responded while taking out a glass container filled with marinated chicken. "But she hasn't lived around people in a long time, so she can't help being a little awkward."

"You weren't hurt?" Zeph asked, his eyes full of worry. Tifa shook her head, smiling.

"We were fine, Zeph. She's not like... _him_. And please keep this quiet, she's trusting us, too." She hoped talk of Penelope would eventually ease the boy's fears, though his hatred was understandable; but they brought him home regardless of that. Zeph looked thoughtful for a moment, then went towards the garage where the weapons were stored.

"Hey, Zeph..." Cloud was checking over Fenrir, his hands blackened with exhaust dirt and oil. He looked up before the child had opened the door, having heard his footsteps before he appeared. "Everything okay?"

"I guess..." He kicked the ground, then looked towards the wooden training swords kept on a shelf; when they weren't practicing with the real thing to get a feel for the weight, they used these to practice form after Cloud decided he didn't want the boys training with the real thing when he wasn't around. He grabbed one, then went towards his favorite corner of the garage to practice his form and technique.

Cloud grunted to the response, wiping his hands with a dirty towel while he stood over the bike, looking towards Zeph as he swung stiffly. He frowned, the child's form still needed work; his swipes were too passionate and not precise enough and his footwork not where it should be. He quietly went up to the shelf with the training swords and grabbed one, then came to stand in front of Zeph. He deftly disarmed the boy, the wooden blade clattering onto the concrete.

"You need to make sure you aren't giving your opponent a chance to disarm you," he said simply, looking down at the boy.

Zeph went to pick up his weapon, and Cloud gently tapped him with his wood sword. "You died," he said matter-of-factly.

The boy gave him a deep frown. Cloud looked back at him, patiently waiting for his next move. Zeph collected his sword, then put his feet into the position Cloud had taught him, sword in hand. Cloud cocked his head, brow raised. Was he waiting on him to make a move? The swordsman went to tap the blade, and Zeph attempted to knock it back; Cloud moved his sword and tapped his chest softly. "Dead again," he said simply.

Zeph was visibly frustrated now. He sighed harshly, his green eyes looking angrily into Cloud's serene blue ones. He went to strike, and Cloud effortlessly moved out of the way and went to strike the boy's back, only to be knocked away before he could tap him. Still, he took the opening, disarming Zeph and softly poking his chest. The boy looked enraged. "That was better," Cloud said, brows raised.

The child was breathing heavily, looking towards the floor. How was he supposed to protect himself, let alone others? It was all so much for him. Did his training mean anything? Cloud picked up Zeph's sword, giving it to him. He slapped it away from him, frustrated. The blond swordsman nodded.

"Fighting isn't as easy as it looks, is it? It takes a lot of practice. You want to be able to defend yourself, and that's great, but it's going to take a long time before you're good at it." Cloud smiled softly, giving him a nod. "I wasn't expecting you to block me, so...good job."

Zeph understood he was being complimented, and slowly grabbed the hilt of the wooden sword offered. "I'm gonna do it," he said. He was angry, but he was also determined.

Cloud chuckled. "If you insist. Let's try again."

The swordsman taught the boy until almost dinner. Zeph had had good and bad moments, and Cloud urged him on throughout their session. They sat on the cool floor, the exercise was nothing to the warrior while Zeph had to catch his breath. Cloud had a curious expression on his face as he appraised the child that had been with them less than a month. He was going to have to calm down at some point, and he was going to learn the truth eventually. Cloud wasn't looking forward to that day, just like he wasn't looking forward to the day he was going to have to give Denzel the talk about his role in the Sector Seven plate collapse.

"You really want to protect others, don't you?" Cloud asked.

Zeph nodded, still catching his breath.

"Heh...Just wait until you have to go against a real monster. A werewolf would be worse, because if it hits you right, you're going to turn into one, too. So you really need to work on dodging." He absentmindedly rubbed his left forearm.

"...How come Penelope isn't like Valdt?" Zeph still had a difficult time with the concept of a werewolf not looking to torment and eat him.

"I guess...it's because she had someone looking after her. Someone to support her." He looked at the blond haired boy, scratching the back of his head. It's what he honestly believed. _'Maybe we need close human interaction to stay human...Something to anchor us.'_

Before Zeph could respond, Tifa popped her head in, alerting the two that it was time for dinner.

* * *

Over the course of two weeks, Cloud had returned to the couple in the woods, giving them the items they asked for, and a burner cellphone Tifa had set up in case there was a need to contact one party or the other. They had been absolutely ecstatic at the arrival of the long needed supplies, and Ithey had some idea about the usage of cell phones.

He had gone back to his usual deliveries, staying close to the city, and kept close contact with Yuffie in case there were to be any sweeps outside the cities; apparently since Evan fed that information that Cloud had killed the last known werewolf in the area the Edge searches were slowed down.

He had made sure to ask his friend to keep any sweeps away from the forests outside Junon. Fortunately there hadn't been any planned for anything outside Junon or Under Junon. He explained his concerns, Yuffie intrigued by the news of a new werewolf.

"Have you told Reeve yet, or do I have to do it?" she chided. "I know we've both been really busy with WRO crap but you know he'll make time for you if he's got some."

Cloud chuckled. "No. I've been kind of distracted lately." And a general dislike of broaching the subject didn't help.

"Distraction is gonna get you killed, Spike. If you don't in a couple of days I'll try and get a hold of him for you."

"...I'll keep it in mind."

He had promised Tifa he would be careful, thinking to himself naked in the Midgar Wastes as he watched the moon above him; the landscape looked almost alien in the bright and eerie light that shone upon the dead rocks and dust. His skin was as warm as the July air, the small cave he hid Fenrir in slightly cooler. Cloud sniffled, rubbing his nose with a finger as he looked over the moonlight filled terrain. Something caught his eye as he felt the first tugs and heat in his chest.

Several people were slowly walking the Wastes, as if they were patrolling the area. One had a dog, the hound sniffing the ground and slowly making its way towards Cloud's position. Was this the WRO, was that one of their tracking dogs? He took a harder look at the people trundling closer to him; they were armed with guns, if he was seeing them right. Cloud was on the verge of panic at this point, with no possible way of escaping to another location, it was too late. They were still a ways away from him, but they would add difficulty to what he hoped would have been a regular night of exploring and killing monsters foolish enough to face him.

The heat built up in his chest, and he knew it was time. Cloud positioned his body to be on all fours, then let it take him. He hoped the sounds of cracking bones and growing flesh wouldn't alert the dog's ears. He slowly opened his eyes as he finished transforming, flexing his claws one hand at a time and stretching his deadly jaws. The werewolf's ears perked up, and he heard the baying howl of a dog; he mentally cursed and made his way to someplace other than where he was now as quickly and silently as he could. This wasn't the place to fight if there was silver involved. _**'I need to leave...they can't find me.'**_

* * *

"Hey, he caught something!" came the voice of one of the hunters. He made his way towards the hound's position, his two friends making their way behind him. They weren't wearing their usual uniforms; instead they had acquired some kevlar from the local armory and their usual weapons. This was a personal mission to them.

Letting the hound chase in front of them, they jogged behind it as it charged up an incline, sniffing and then making a right turn as the trail grew stronger. One of the men paused, looking about as he noticed claw marks scratching the dusty, hard earth in the moonlight. He swallowed hard, he had never met this kind of monster before, one that could not just kill them but turn them into monsters too. His friend of course insisted on the search despite last month's sweep covering the area and bagging a single monster; Merle wanted a thrill. At least, that's what he thought Merle wanted; the hunter had been sullen since last month.

Onward they continued, the track taking them this way and that in the dusty environment. The three could tell their quarry knew it was being hunted, and despite the possibility of an ambush they continued on. Several times they had thought they may have discovered or cornered the werewolf, putting them all on edge, but it was merely shadows or a small stray monster to be had that they easily dispatched. As they continued on into the night the dog paused and then growled as it trotted towards a barren rock face, the other side obscured to the foolhardy hunters. It charged in snarling, then turned the corner to whatever awaited it; more snarls and barks came from the dog as the three men chased close behind, ready to corner their quarry

The dog's bloodied corpse smashed into Merle's face, knocking him out as blood and entrails splattered out. His friends shouted out in surprise and horror, and one of them went to his friend's aid, trying to wake him with firm shakes to his shoulders after he moved the hound's body off of him with a sickening squelch. The other watched their quarry, a werewolf, approaching them quickly with a roar. Taking aim, the hunter shot just as the beast knocked the gun out of his hands; the bullet aimed for its chest grazed the flesh of its right arm instead. It screeched in pain, sending shivers down the spines of the two still conscious hunters.

He ducked down as the monster wildly attempted to backhand him, and fumbled about for his gun with shaky hands. The werewolf snarled at him between pants, but the hunter was too busy retreating and recovering his gun to notice whatever else it was doing. Finally he stood up straight and aimed his gun again, but froze as two glowing blue eyes locked onto his own. They were hostile, desperate, and afraid. It was the last thing he saw before the force of its arm slammed into him, smashing him into the rock wall.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck..." The second hunter fumbled with his rifle as the werewolf smashed his friend against the rock facing hard enough to crack the stone. The beast was panting and bleeding from its arm while growling at him. The malevolent, glowing blue eyes were daring him to shoot as it creeped over on its hind legs, hunched slightly and towering over the final hunter as it approached. He noticed a glimmer of metal on its chest, almost completely covered in spiky tufts of fur as it came ever closer. It caught his eye just for a moment, and he damned himself for being distracted by it.

He quickly aimed for the monster's chest as its shadow was cast over him, and the beast dodged too slow; again it evaded immediate death, but this bullet ripped and passed through the flesh on the side of its abdomen as it backhanded the man hard while howling in pain. He flew to the ground some feet away with a sickening thud, his arm dislocated. The hunter moved his head a little, getting a final look at the injured werewolf as it stared at him before passing out.

The beast stumbled on its hind legs, panting heavily and holding its side, small tendrils of black smoke dispersing from both wounds with dripping, black blood. The hunters around him did not stir, their arena stinking of blood and burning flesh to the werewolf. The Midgar Ruins loomed in the distance as the moon eerily illuminated the dead landscape.


	25. Fears

_**Just run...Just run...Recover...'**_ Cloud stumbled on his hind legs, warring with a vengeful side that wanted to mutilate the hunters and make absolutely certain they were dead. The only reason he did not cave into those depraved desires was because of the agony his body was in; what sick, fleeting enjoyment he'd get out of the petty actions could ruin his escape if they had alerted anyone as it was. He may have already killed them, with the amount of force he used to stop them. One was slammed into the rocks hard enough to break bones, the other one slapped hard enough into the hardened earth to leave an imprint. The final one he had only thrown the dead dog at, and he was the one most likely still alive.

Staggering, he left the area with jagged breaths huffing from his maul. He wondered if he would die out here before he made it back to the cave. He tentatively tried to walk on all fours, but pain shot through his injured arm and chest wound, making him snarl and wince. Back to his hind feet he continued his slow travel, sniffing his way back while limping and bleeding. It felt like an eternity, a painful walk through a lifeless land of dust and stone that seemed to never end. The dust stuck to his tongue as he panted, drying it and causing him to sneeze once in a while. It hurt the injury to his abdomen.

Occasionally he would turn around, watching for anyone possibly following him, or sniffing the wind as it came from his former position. Were they alone, or were they part of a sweep Yuffie didn't hear about? Cloud shakily kicked at the dirt, trying to cover a dark splotch of blood moistening the dead soil. Will he have enough time to escape in the morning? Would they notice the blood trail too soon for him to leave?

After what felt like hours, Cloud finally made it back to his small hideout, annoyed that this special spot would no longer be safe for the foreseeable future. He collapsed as he limped into the cave, breathing heavily as fresh blood seeped from his injuries. Curling up next to Fenrir he watched the entrance in case of any trouble; willing himself to stay up no matter how badly he wanted to sleep.

As the night pressed on, he would think he had heard or seen something in the distance, lifting his head to observe. What to do, if he was followed? Kill the hunter? Maybe it would be best if he did. Is that what he wanted to do? He shook his head of the thoughts. Cloud looked over his injuries, their smoking ceased. He licked at the arm injury, tasting his blood and burnt flesh; silver on skin was horrible enough, but entering his body it was a new level of excruciating pain that burned like acid.

The more worrisome injury was in his abdomen; it had ceased smoking but still seeped blood and a tiny piece of flesh here and there. He had certainly gone through worse attacks on his torso in his life, but it wasn't closing as fast as it should be. Cloud worried if it had hit one of his organs, not merely grazed them; if the shot had been closer to the center of his torso the bullet probably would have caused much more damage. _**'Wait until morning...'**_

* * *

"Unh..." The hunter stirred, wiping his face of some sticky fluid. Merle was confused, he did not remembering what happened; what coated his face, where were his friends? He sat up and tasted something coppery on his lips and he finally realized what was smeared on his face, making him panic. Merle looked around quickly, soon noticing the disemboweled dog laying to his side, then looking to his other side he heard soft groans from a dark mass that startled him.

Crawling over, he cautiously touched the groaning mass. It was one of his friends, and his arm was in a strange position that sent a chill down Merle's spine. He remembered...They were chasing after a werewolf, and he came to meet the tracking dog as it rounded the corner, it must have flung the dog's body at him and knocked him out.

It looked like his friends hadn't been as fortunate as he had been. Merle picked himself up, planning on assisting his friend after he looked for the other hunter. He didn't have far to go, the remains of his comrade smashed into the rock face, lifeless. Touching the neck gingerly to make sure he was dead and not just severely injured, he sighed sadly. _'If I hadn't done this hunting expedition...'_ Merle turned his attention to the one who killed his friend; the werewolf. It was still out there.

He went back to his still living friend, the blond haired man moving around more and grunting. Merle took out his WRO communicator, but paused a moment; he was in big trouble for using supplies and armor to go on his little hunt. Maybe he thought it would be easier, after all, Barret had easily killed that one on the beach with a single silver bullet. This one had proven more intelligent, as if it had planned the ambush. It must have, why would something like that not plan ahead? He looked up, the sky was starting to lighten with hues of pink as the sun came ever closer to the horizon. How long had he been out?

"WRO, this is 041 Merle. Requesting assistance."

A crackle from the other side. Roger, 041 Merle. Situation?"

Merle sighed, his black eyes looking about the area. What was that on the ground? "Werewolf attack. One death, two survivors including me. Need medical attention for second survivor."

There was a pause. "Werewolf status?"

"Escaped." Sounded silly considering he wasn't dead. He walked over to a black splotch on the ground.

The voice sounded mildly surprised. "Escaped? Roger. I have a medical contingency coming to your location."

"Thanks. I'll be waiting." Merle put the communicator back, studying the dark mark. He looked up and noticed that it was a trail that lead into the wastes, back the way they had come from. He followed the trail for a short time, the path moving this way and that. How badly was it injured? His friends must have hit it good. Merle looked back and decided it was best to stay next to his still living friend instead of looking for a rematch, even if it was severely injured.

"...Merle..." The hunter struggled on the ground, his shoulder burning. Merle approached him and put a gloved hand on his friend's good shoulder. The man lifted his head, deep indigo eyes looking up at Merle; his nose was busted and covered in clotting and fresh blood, his eyes bloodshot. "Did it get away?"

Merle sighed heavily and nodded. "Yeah, Ichi. Got Harry, too." He felt guilty.

Ichi nodded, groaning in pain when he moved his dislocated arm. He saw that last night. "Wonder why it didn't finish the job..."

"Probably in too much pain. Looks like one of you guys shot it."

Ichi gave a humorless laugh. "We both did. I shot it in the torso... I don't remember what happened afterwards."

Merle nodded, then looked towards the dark trail. "We'll follow its blood trail after we get you some help." Maybe they'll find a body, he mused. He hoped.

* * *

Cloud groaned as the pain from his injuries woke him up. He winced and then blinked as he looked at the cave's entrance. The sky was lighter, and he thought he heard the distant sound of a vehicle. _'Fell asleep after all...'_ He grunted as he picked himself up, recovering his clothing and attempting to cover himself; his injuries still weeped blood, but he had to leave the area before someone showed up. Desperation built as the pain hindered his dressing. He hissed as the fabric of his shirt touched the raw flesh of his wounds.

Finally dressed after some difficulty he looked outside the cave, noticing what appeared to be a helicopter in the distance; it was about where he left those hunters...Cloud pushed the thoughts away and went back to retrieve Fenrir, and he rolled the bike out of the cave with some difficulty before starting it up. He needed to get home, get to Tifa...

Cloud took a final look around the area, one of his hands over his largest injury as he began to accelerate his bike towards home. This wouldn't do at all, he thought. He pushed closer towards the road into Edge, trying to focus on his driving and not his injuries or the dizzy feeling welling in his head. Did some silver remain in his body, eating away at him? It hurt like hell still, and the injuries had barely healed at all; it worried him. Maybe he'd die after all, he thought.

He sped closer to the small metropolis, damning himself. _'I should have stayed at home one more month...'_ Just one more, but he felt he had gotten greedy. Would it have been so bad to ask Penelope if he could have stayed in her woods for the night? Maybe he didn't want to intrude on her territory. Still, it wouldn't have hurt to ask. But the Wastes should have been safe!

As he entered the city, his mind returned to the three hunters. What were they doing out there, if the WRO didn't send them? Yuffie wouldn't lie to him about that of all things. Where his materia was, sure, but nothing life threatening. Were they just out there on their own? Did he kill them? He had to do what he had to do, self preservation was a powerful urge. Cloud sighed, trying not to think about them yet again. He took a turn off the nearly empty central plaza towards the bar, then deftly moved the bike into the garage as the door opened up.

Cloud shut off the bike while the door churned closed behind him. He was breathing heavily and holding onto the handlebars as he struggled to remain upright as his morning adrenaline wore off. He sat there for a minute, focusing on clearing his now fuzzy vision, the dark room blurring in and out. Out of confidence or desperation or both, he took a breath and swung himself off the bike, stumbling to the ground in a heap as he did so. Cloud gasped, holding the side of his abdomen as a sharp pain traveled through it. He let out a harsh cough and tasted a little blood. If he didn't get help soon...

His senses were dulled and he couldn't tell if any of the others were awake. Regardless he decided to crawl towards the door, slowly making progress and growling whenever the pain shot through the injury; he hoped if the children were in the bar, they didn't hear him. As Cloud approached the concrete step that lead to the door it quietly opened, the light burning his eyes and causing him to wince. He heard a gasp.

"...Cloud? What's wrong?" It was Tifa. Her strong arms lifted him up gently and he found his footing as he leaned into her, panting. He felt her support his weight, her body almost pressing onto his wound.

"I...Hunters...Silver..." he whispered into her ear. His eyes were to the ground, focusing on his steps as she slowly took him upstairs. He felt her nod to his answer, Tifa's hair rubbing softly on his face.

They took another step. "Almost there, Cloud..." He felt her lurch him toward the office, the bed closer by then the bedroom. He slowly took his steps, occasionally gasping or letting out a soft growl if the pain spiked. Tifa stopped, and he listened to her steady breaths. "Okay, Cloud...this might hurt a bit. I'm going to put you on the bed."

He nodded and braced himself as she positioned him to sit on the bed, then lay down. He panted hard, and the pain made him cry out once. Finally he was laying down, the pain easing a little as he laid still. Tifa tugged his shirt zipper, revealing the strange injury of blackened flesh and sticky red blood. Tifa looked over him, her face full of concern. She gently rubbed his head, the sensation relaxing him a little after his ordeal. He weakly grabbed her forearm with a worried look on his face that matched her own, though she spoke up before he could whimper words to her.

"I'm going to go get some materia, okay?" She dipped down and kissed his forehead to give him some form of reassurance that everything would be alright, then left for the materia box left in the garage. Tifa swiftly made her way down the stairs, then turned on the light as she passed through the open door, looking about. The box was hidden behind a toolbox, and some cardboard boxes filled with papers and the like; someplace the children wouldn't immediately look for the potentially dangerous baubles.

Moving a box she uncovered the trove, opening the chest and reveling silently at the rainbow light hidden inside. Tifa tentatively touched a piece here and there, identifying the spell contained within the orb by a whisper that called out in her ears. Fire, Ice, Esuna...She took that one just in case. A few more moments of searching and she finally came across one of the more powerful Cure materias not given to Yuffie after Meteorfall.

Tifa closed the box and quickly hid it away again, then exited the garage, double stepping her way up the stairs; she felt she had taken long enough already. As she reached the top of the stairs she heard the voices of the children, all three coming into view as she entered the office. Cloud took in labored breaths on the bed, and his face was paler than when she had left. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Cloud, what happened?" Marlene didn't get a response.

"Guys..." The children turned to Tifa, the woman holding a green, glowing orb in either hand. "Cloud had a fight last night while making his overnight delivery. I need to heal him so he can tell me everything." She placed one of the orbs on the wooden desk, then held the other in her right hand, palm downward.

"Oh. I almost forgot we had materia..." Denzel said in an off hand manner. Zeph looked back at him and blinked.

"Materia...I've never seen anyone use it before." He looked up at Tifa, watching her.

Tifa took a deep breath and focused on the knowledge contained within the slightly elastic orb. It had been so long since she used materia, not since that day they came back to Midgar to help the survivors...Her eyes focused on her target, and Cloud looked back at her with a pained expression on his face. Then it happened, the mental "snap" of the materia being triggered went through her mind, and Cloud sighed noisily as the injury to his arm and abdomen closed some with a gentle green glow. The most grievous parts of the wound had knitted up, and the bleeding had mostly ceased.

Tifa put her hands on her knees, the mental fatigue from using such a spell after a long time hitting her immediately. "S-sorry...It's a bit too much right now. I'll go out and purchase some potions, but...I don't know how much it'll help. I think you're stuck in bed until you get better, Cloud." Tifa gave him a sympathetic look, knowing how he hated to be bed ridden. He grunted in response, nodding that he understood. Tifa came over and rubbed his head affectionately once more for a few moments before turning to exit, ushering the children out as well.

"Cloud needs to rest."

The next day was much the same for Cloud, though the pain had become more manageable with Tifa and Marlene's care. The two boys would come in on occasion to play a card game with the warrior, keeping him company throughout the day or sending up a meal. He would occasionally shuffle out of bed to use the bathroom, and Tifa would gently scold him for not asking for her help to get to one room or the other. He would just shake his head and say that he didn't want to be any more of a burden than he already was at this point. Besides, she had healed the worst of it, hadn't she?

While his injuries were healing the blackened skin on his arm was starting to flake off, the injury the consistency of a burn. Tifa had bandaged the arm, soaking the fabric in a potion in a bid to dull the pain of the raw, pink flesh. She would have used the materia again, but Cloud didn't want her to possibly deal with a headache while she worked the bar. Tifa told him she would start using the bauble more often to acclimate to their use again.

His abdomen was slower to heal. The burns as the silver grazed his insides slowed down what should be rapidly healing. Cloud was grateful it wasn't infected, but even with both sides properly dressed the pain would make him wonder. The second night he was stuck in the office bed Tifa had come to replace his dressings after sending the children to bed, a worried look on her face as she began work on the entry hole.

Cloud frowned. "What's wrong, Teef?"

She sighed as she worked on cleaning the injury and dabbing it with a strong potion, the hole knitted together more strongly as the fluid did its work. " _They have those dogs now,_ " she said lowly in Nibelese. Zeph could still be up, and she didn't want to take the chance that he would overhear them.

He snorted, then grunted as the action shot pain through his injury. " _Tell me something I don't know..._ " Cloud had already told her the whole story, some of it confirmed in a radio news bulletin. He hadn't felt much knowing he had killed one of the hunters, but he certainly wasn't proud of it, either. He either fought back or he died; he was already in poor shape as it was because of them.

" _No, I mean...They're searching around the city again, now during the day and night. I saw a hunter this morning outside the garage's door. I guess they trailed your scent..._ " she whispered.

He groaned, hand to his face. Yuffie had texted him, telling him to hang tight for now, and that she'd try and get a hold of Reeve; the man had been exceedingly busy as of late with either paperwork on the oil fields Barret discovered or attempting to bring back some form of normalcy to the world after the Deepground incident. Junon was still not quite back to business as usual. " _Damn._ "

" _I don't know if they knew why or not, they didn't enter the bar._ "

Tifa finished with the entry hole, then helped him shift to his back side. This one had a little more drainage, and she had put a towel down so it wouldn't soak into the mattress. She slowly peeled it off, tossing the dirtied bandages into the trashcan. " _It's just another thing to get through, I guess. We've made it this far, right?_ "

" _...Yeah. It's just...I guess I didn't think this through._ " He bit his lip as the potion stung his deep wound, Tifa dousing it slowly.

" _Just let me be with you from now on..._ " Tifa whispered. Cloud looked back, his eye finding hers. " _If you need to go out...I don't want you alone, Cloud._ "

He looked towards the wall as she begun packing bandages. " _It was just a freak incident, Teef._ "

" _It almost killed you, too,_ " she retorted. " _Silver...It's like acid and fire,_ " Tifa said in a barely audible whisper, taping gauze on her work. Cloud slowly flipped back over, sighing as he came to rest his bare back on the mattress again. Tifa slowly went over his legs and then laid between him and the wall, snuggling his side with her head on his shoulder. They laid there like that in silence for a long while before Cloud spoke up in a whisper.

"You really do put up with too much..." Cloud looked over at Tifa; she had fallen asleep. He decided that perhaps he should too, and held her hand before drifting off to sleep with her.

* * *

"Hey Cloud, are you gonna come with us to get some ice cream?" Zeph asked the swordsman as the boy sat on the bed. It had been about a week since the ill fated night when Cloud got to enjoy silver through his body for the first time. He looked over at the boy, a suspicious glint to his green eyes as he looked over at Cloud. He was sitting at his desk, leaning into the chair.

"Sorry, Zeph...Not today. I'm still recovering." That was a lie. Tifa and Marlene had healed him up completely several days ago, the only thing left were slowly disappearing white scars. Cloud felt bad about missing some family time with the children, but he promised to make it up to them when everything calmed down. Right now it was far too dangerous. What was taking Yuffie so long? Was Reeve that swamped?

The boy sighed. "What hurt you so bad, anyway? It must have been fast, like you."

 _'Just dumb luck on the hunters' part,'_ Cloud thought. "...Magic."

"Oh." Well, that made sense. The wounds had looked like burns to Zeph. "Tifa used magic on you, to heal you...Are you gonna show us how to use it?" Zeph sounded hopeful, excited even.

Cloud gawked. "What? No! Not until you're much older." He ran a hand through his hair, then sighed. "It takes a lot of energy, and you have to train your mind. So, if you want me to show you some day, show me you can clear your mind of thought first."

The child looked thoughtful, then nodded. "I'll try, Cloud."

Cloud nodded. "You better hurry, before they leave without you." He gave Zeph a small smile, the child leaving the bed and charging down the steps. Cloud sighed, frustrated with his situation. He heard the front door shut, and he peeked out the blinds to watch his family walking down the street. Maybe next time. For now he was a prisoner in his own home.

* * *

"Papa said Cloud's gotta watch over us until he can come down here to catch that werewolf," Marlene said offhandedly.

Tifa tsked. "He said he would come by very soon." That was a potential powder keg right there. The questions he asked had her on edge; has Cloud been acting normal, has he been doing anything funnier than usual, why did he and Evan lie about slaying that werewolf...Things she didn't want to lie about but had to right now. Cloud was acting as normal as Cloud could pretend to act, he always acted a little funny so what did you mean exactly, and it might have been a similar werewolf. Eventually Barret would have to know, but right now all he would think about was Marlene living with a meat eating monster if she told him.

"It'll be nice to see Mr. Barret again," Zeph said with a small smile. He liked Barret, he was certain on his course of action when it came to protecting those around him.

"...Hey, those guys've been following us since we made it to the plaza, Tifa." Denzel looked back again, and Tifa did so as well. There were two of them, and a hound. They were dressed in blue WRO uniforms.

Tifa sighed, continuing towards the ice cream shop. "It'll be okay." The group continued on, occasionally eyeing the duo that, after a turn this way and that way, were obviously tracking them. Tifa mentally shrugged; the dog could smell Cloud on her, most likely.

Finally the group made it to the ice cream shop, the group waiting in a short line for the cool treat on a hot afternoon. The WRO hunters came closer but seemed to wait on the corner of a brick building, as if to not harass the business with their prying. _'At least they're kind of polite...'_ Tifa thought. "C'mon, guys. It's our turn!"

The children picked up their favorite flavors; Denzel choosing strawberry, Marlene picking chocolate, and Zeph choosing mint. Tifa requested a cookies and cream. She felt bad Cloud wasn't there despite his usual dislike of sweets, he'd still enjoy the time together and said ice cream was alright once in a while. As soon as the last cone was given to her she paid, then they made their way towards home.

Soon enough a low growl made its way to her ears, and she paused and turned to face the hunters that had been stalking them.

"Hey there, ma'am." One of the WRO hunters said in an artificially warm tone, his tan face giving a polite smile.

"Um, good afternoon...Can I help you?" She licked her cone. The children had worried looks on their faces as they looked up at the adults.

The second hunter spoke up, his brown eyes staring into her red ones. "Well, I'm sure you've heard of the attack last week, and we've been looking for the...troublemaker." He glanced at the children, then back at Tifa. He obviously didn't want to scare them too much, and motioned towards a quiet alley. "Do you mind speaking to me, over there? My comrade will keep the children safe, I promise."

Tifa looked back at the children and then back at the hunter. She wasn't a werewolf, so any tests they did would be useless. "As long as the children are safe. I'll hold you to it."

He gave a genuine smile, nodding. He took hold of the dog's leash as it let out a small growl after it had sniffed Zeph, and firmly tugged it towards the alley with him. He took Tifa towards an alley, surprised at her confidence as she continued to eat her ice cream in a casual manner. The dog sniffed her, then growled.

"So...This dog is trained to sniff out werewolves, you know? Recent development, this is the first batch." He was pointing at the hound, a serious look on his face. His other hand was near his gun.

"Do you think we're a family of werewolves, then?" Tifa raised a brow before licking more of the softening ice cream.

The hunter let out a laugh. "I don't know about that. But-" He squinted at her raised hand for a few moments. "No...You aren't. But the dog..." His hand near his gun relaxed, and he looked at the hound.

"I run a bar, you know! It could have been one of the customers...The children help during the summer too, and we had a customer we had to pamper a bit today." Tifa shrugged. "Some people are just temperamental, but that guy..." She studied the hunter as he looked back at her, hanging on her every word. "He had a big thing for meat, I noticed."

"Anyone else live with you?" The hunter raised a brow.

"...Yeah. My husband."

"Where is he?"

"At home, working on...the shower."

The hunter grunted. "I see. Does he work at your bar?"

"Lately. The last two weeks he's been stuck in the bar, actually. Needed the help." Tifa sighed, wondering when the grilling would be over.

The hunter frowned, but seemed to relax further. "Two weeks? Hmph. Just be careful ma'am, there's a werewolf hanging around the city. Sorry to bother you."

 _'Don't I know it, and he's an absolute handful.'_ Tifa gave a kind smile towards the man. "It's alright. Thanks for looking out for everyone!" She walked back towards the children, nodding at them to continue on. The hunter behind her shook his head at his partner and they walked the opposite way, the dog giving a final growl towards the group before being tugged away.

"What was that all about?" Denzel asked.

Tifa chomped into her cone, thinking on the little conversation. "He thought I was a werewolf. Isn't that silly?" She remembered her ring. "He must've thought my ring was made of silver, that's why he didn't detain me longer..." She thought some more.

"...So that dog, it's one of the new ones that can sniff out werewolves, right?" Marlene asked.

Tifa nodded. "That's what he said. Guess it was mistaken, huh? A family of werewolves..." She let out a small laugh.

Denzel and Marlene giggled knowingly. Zeph frowned worriedly, licking his ice cream in silence.

* * *

 _Zeph heard a scratching at his bedroom door. He sat up in bed, holding his covers as if they would protect him from whatever could possibly be on the other side; soft light and moving shadows were playing in the space between the floor and the door. The sound grew, and the boy held his breath, paralyzed with fear..._

 _The door burst open and four shadowy figures quickly surrounded his bed. He recognized them all; it was his adoptive family, silhouettes and feral faces smiling at him with yellow eyes except for a single pair that shone blue in the dark. Denzel and Marlene's giggles sounded almost like chuckling hyenas, the children pointing at him with clawed fingers as pointy teeth gleamed at him. "You found out our secret!" They taunted in a twisted singsong voice._

 _A female voice, Tifa, called out to him. "Now you'll have to be one of us, Zeph." Her normally friendly smile was warped into some twisted visage of woman and wolf._

 _The boy moaned. "I don't wanna!" He backed himself towards the headboard, looking for a way out, his head swinging this way and that way as he breathed quickly. Where was his silver sword?_

 _"Maybe we'll eat him instead?" Marlene said cruelly._

 _"But I like him just enough," Denzel said, his teeth gleaming from the hallway light._

 _"Sorry, kiddo. Unlike staying with us, you don't have a choice in this." Cloud's voice was barely apologetic, and his glowing blue eyes seemed almost amused. "It won't hurt too much..." The other family members grasped his limbs, holding him down as he struggled. They laughed as Cloud's clawed hand came to scratch Zeph's arm_

"Zeph! Hey!" The child jumped and shouted, looking around his dark room as a strong, gentle hand held his shoulder. "Shhh...You're gonna wake up the whole neighborhood at this rate, kiddo." Cloud was whispering softly to him. Zeph whimpered at the sound of his voice.

The boy looked up fearfully into Cloud's softly glowing eyes, and was given concerned frown back. Zeph said nothing, but took deep breaths as he was taught while holding tightly to his blanket.

"You were having another nightmare...Wanna talk about it?" Cloud asked in a whisper. He rubbed the child's shoulder softly, trying to calm him down.

Zeph looked around him, his room the way it was before he fell asleep; his silver sword was right where he left it, in arm's reach. Cloud crouched down at the side of his bed as Tifa's face peeked from the dark hallway. He squeaked, and Cloud looked back, whispering something to her that Zeph couldn't make out. She nodded, then her head disappeared. As he turned back to look at Zeph they made eye contact, and the boy nodded.

After explaining his nightmare, Cloud had an uncomfortable look on his face. He didn't like that the child's dreams were now making the paranoid child fearful of the family.

"I-I think it was because of those hunters," Zeph said.

Cloud nodded slowly, Tifa had told him the story earlier as they laid in bed. He hoped Reeve or even Yuffie would contact him soon. "So...It has you worried."

"Is Tifa a werewolf? Did that Penelope girl change her?" His face was full of worry. "She said the hunter mistook her ring for silver, but the dog was growling at her..."

Cloud let out a sigh. "Tifa's no werewolf. Look, the dog was growling at you kids too, right?" The boy nodded. "So, maybe it wasn't trained right...You're obviously not a werewolf, right?" He gave a small smile to the boy as he shook his head. Zeph's eyes moved side to side as if contemplating if he should ask something of Cloud. He took a deep breath and landed the blond warrior with a dour, serious expression on his face. Cloud didn't appreciate the look he was being given. He got up as he usually did before leaving, and he stretched his back, before looking back down at Zeph. He opened his mouth to say a few parting words.

"Cloud? Is everything okay in here? Y-You need your sleep, you're still healing..." It was Tifa, her head was poking through the darkness again.

"I think so...Hey, just remember, we're all here for you, alright?" Cloud let out a soft laugh. "Even _if_ we were a family of werewolves." He patted the child on the shoulder and tucked him back in. "See you in the morning, Zeph."

"N-night..." He had wanted to ask Cloud the dreaded question, too. There was something so very off about his guardian, but usually he could deny them because of one reason or another. _'But what would I do if he's one of them?'_

* * *

The next several days were another mixture of boredom and anxiety for Cloud, still waiting to hear from Reeve. Yuffie promised that he was burning through his workload as hard as he could, and then he could catch up on what the ninja thought was so important that didn't involve someone's death or serious injury. He sighed as he finished his work on Fenrir. Denzel had come in earlier, hoping to spar with the warrior some before lunch. Cloud might not be the biggest fan of the rod, but the child was a natural; he even blocked Cloud twice in a row before getting the dreaded death tap. It was almost just play to the two, and Cloud was proud of Denzel's advancement in his chosen weapon. "Maybe you'll teach me something, someday," Cloud had said to him with a smile.

Zeph appeared from the bar, approaching the wooden practice swords. Cloud stood up, walking towards him as he took one of the weapons after placing his silver sword on the shelf. Zeph carried it almost everywhere he could. "Practicing?"

Zeph held the sword firmly in his hand, nodding at the question.

"Alright." Cloud took another wooden sword, then they both walked to the more open area of the garage. Zeph stood in front of him, and Cloud smelled fear mixed with his determination; he frowned. "If you want to fight people or monsters, you're going to need to stop being led by your fear."

Zeph gave a stern look. "I'm not led by fear..."

Cloud snorted. "That nightmare a few nights ago says otherwise. If you came across a real monster, or a real werewolf in the dark, if you aren't just sparring...I bet you'd freeze up." He was challenging the child now.

"...No I wouldn't!" He swiped in front of him. Cloud almost wanted to test him, but not quite yet.

Knocking the blade from the child, he went to poke him in the chest. Cloud was surprised when Zeph did the roll he was taught, picking up his sword and putting it in a defensive position. "...Good. But, this isn't like a real battle." He tested Zeph, seeing if he'd dodge or block properly; trying to hit him at a normal rate of speed.

"You have to be able to strike your opponent, too. Not just defend. C'mon, try and hit me." Zeph lunged, Cloud now doing the blocking and dodging. "Anticipate my attacks, and my movements." He tried for a few minutes, frustrated when he couldn't hit his tutor. "Calm down..." Cloud dodged another attack.

Zeph became increasingly frustrated, blocked and dodged at every corner, until in a moment of rage and clarity he swung the wooden sword straight into the side of Cloud's kneecap. The warrior grunted in surprise as he fell onto one knee before blocking the next attack. "That was a little dirty, but I'm not here to teach you to fight fair." Cloud used his sword to swipe behind the child's knees and then held him in his arms as he fell. "You have a ways to go, but I think you'll make it...If you stop being so scared." He chuckled.

Zeph was about to lightly protest when they both heard someone on the other side of the garage door that led to the outside. Footsteps and the growling of a dog came up to the metal door. Cloud's face noticeably paled, and he silently sniffed the air as he held Zeph by his chest.

"It keeps comin' here. I don't think a werewolf is gonna live in a bar, you know."

"Could be a patron, but the strongest track seems to be back here. Maybe it just uses this alley."

"Eh, the trail is the same one Merle tracked that night, almost two weeks ago. Maybe it left?"

"Who knows. I might go in for a drink later, do the silver gil trick."

"That bagged a werewolf in Under Junon, I heard." The voices began to grow distant, the dog's growling ceasing as they left the back of the bar.

Cloud relaxed, and blinked a few times as he looked down at Zeph. "Sorry. Old habit."

Zeph wasn't relaxing. Was Cloud sniffing? He remembered Valdt doing the same action once, a silent but noticeable action if you were close to him. He'd use it to smell fear coming off him as he sat in his filthy cell..."Why were you sniffing the air like that?" Zeph's face was full of terror as the conversation outside the garage played in his head over and over.


	26. Fighting Back

Cloud's face drained of all color as he looked down at Zeph. He had been forgetful of the child's paranoia as he listened and sniffed the air moments ago. "I..." He didn't have an excuse lined up for this and he looked away, his jaw clenched from worry.

Zeph's eyes grew wider as everything began to fall into place; he couldn't deny it any longer. "You're hiding from the hunters, aren't you? That's why you won't go outside..." He lifted himself from Cloud's arms as quickly as he could, never taking his fearful gaze from Cloud's despondent face as he backed towards the wall behind him, practice sword in his hand in a weak bid for protection. "...And why that dog was growling at us when we went for ice cream!"

"Zeph..." He lowered his gaze with a sigh. His hands rested on his knees as he sat haphazardly on the floor, wooden sword to his side. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

The blond-haired child edged away and towards his silver blade on the opposite side of the garage. His breath was fast and his eyes never left Cloud. "You were a werewolf the whole time...I trusted you..."

Cloud looked up, his blue eyes revealing hurt. "And did I ever do anything to you?" He watched Zeph as he inched closer to the other wall. He knew what he was after, but he would make no attempt to stop Zeph; it would only alert the bar as he screamed for help despite the lack of danger.

Flinching, Zeph disappeared from Cloud's view as he went behind Fenrir from his position on the ground. He raised himself slowly to watch the child's movements without potentially setting him off further. Zeph watched him in return, terrified, unsure if he would be attacked or not for finding out his guardian's secret. "T-Tifa..." Zeph squeaked for the bartender on the opposite side of the door. He made it to his blade and replaced the wooden one with his sharp and silver sword.

Cloud sighed and put his hands on his hips. "She knows. Remember the night of the sweep, when I stayed home?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the bar opened. Tifa's head popped into view. "Zeph, did you need something?" She frowned as she noticed he was holding his silver blade towards Cloud, and then looked towards the warrior. He looked paler than usual and more than a little nervous.

Zeph gawked at her, then looked back at Cloud. He remembered that night; Tifa stayed with him until he fell asleep. "Y-you knew Cloud was a..."

Tifa gently shut the door behind her after walking into the garage. "Yeah. Sorry, Zeph. But you just weren't ready to know. You don't seem ready yet, either." She scratched her head, unsure what to do. "It's not like you're in any danger here..."

Zeph felt betrayed, but also confused as he nervously looked back and forth between the two adults. Cloud hadn't hurt him, but...He was one of those things that took away his sister. He stared at Cloud. "But how long until you wanna eat me, or Denzel, or Marlene?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes. That was a painful accusation. "I don't wanna eat anyone. Don't you think it'd be silly to train you how to kill a werewolf before trying to eat you?"

Tifa crossed her arms. "Do you think I'd let that happen in the first place?" Zeph stared at her as she asked the question, then shook his head. "N-no..."

Cloud sighed, the conversation was taking its toll on his emotions. He didn't like being thought of as only a monstrous thing, when it wasn't at all the whole of who he was. Especially not from a family member, even if he expected a similar reaction to this. "Look...How about we give you some time and space so you can think things over, okay?" Zeph was staring at him now, his eyes still wide with shock and terror. He hinted a nod, and Cloud slowly made his way towards Tifa while Zeph watched him warily. "...I'm gonna help Tifa in the bar while you calm down a little." He gently took her hand while Tifa gave a sympathetic look towards Zeph before turning around to enter the bar. Both adults left after a moment and gently shut the door behind them.

Zeph stood there in the suffocating silence left behind from their exit for several minutes. Underneath that awkward but friendly facade was a hideous monster. He had a feeling growing in his heart slowly over the weeks that he had pushed away, convincing himself it was just his paranoia. Cloud was just too nice to be a werewolf, he would think to himself. But...The way Cloud looked at Tifa's meat dishes or how Zeph would find him scarfing down jerky after certain meals. Or why the stray cats in the alley would scatter whenever he came out of the garage, why he would 'sniffle' occasionally out of the blue without a stuffy nose.

And Tifa knew. Why oh why did she bring him into their home if she knew? Because adults do things just because? Zeph chewed on his lip.

He looked at his silver sword. After a few moments he placed it back in the sheath and attached it to his belt. He went to the garage doors and opened the aluminum slide door with some effort, entering the alley and letting it shut behind him. He decided he'd take a walk and think things out; his feelings were sorely divided between betrayal for not being alerted to Cloud's identity and gratitude for being brought into the house in the first place. He wandered out of the alley and towards the central plaza, pausing to look at the Meteorfall monument.

He remembered that day, the day Meteor fell and the Lifestream welled up to meet it. He didn't know what it was at the time, of course. All he knew was that his mother was holding Fiore and he in their little shack in the sector four slums, hoping that the plate above wouldn't collapse on them as green light grew in the twilight of Armageddon. Then, the next thing he knew he was being carried by someone towards an emergency tent set up outside of the slums.

His mother and sister had reunited with him after a few days; the chaos in the wake of Meteor had made it difficult to find loved ones. After a while and with no choice because of the cold winter, they made their way back to their old shack for some semblance of shelter. Fiore and Zeph had gone out to trade scrap for food and gil like many others after a while. Their mother would volunteer with the building of Edge for some hot meals she could share with her children. Eventually the scrap had cleared up and the newly established WRO went to the most damaged sectors for scrap pick up, taking away the children's income. Zeph sighed as he shoved the memories away. He was in the here and now, and now had its own set of problems.

Zeph continued on his path, knowing where he planned to go. The streets were busy with citizens going this way and that way, and a few vehicles that roamed the roads in the early evening. Sometimes he would eye a hunter patrolling the area, and he wondered if he should say something or not. For one reason or another he couldn't quite rat Cloud out. Not yet, anyway. Despite the recent discovery and the feeling that he had been tricked into living in a home with a monster, he was hesitant to do anything to this particular werewolf. He pushed on towards the west, towards his old home. As he traveled the pedestrian traffic slowed, and the streets became quiet. He was lost in thought until he felt a tap on his shoulder, making him jolt and gasp as he turned to see who stalked him.

"Whatcha doin', Zeph?" Marlene had been following him. Her light pink dress swayed slightly in the breeze.

Zeph looked down at the ground and then back up at her, his green eyes full of anger. "I figured out why Cloud was inside the house all the time. He's one of those things, a werewolf! Tifa knew, too!"

Marlene shook her head. "So that's why you're all the way out here..." She had a sad look on her face. "We all knew, Zeph. Cloud made Denzel and me promise not to say anything 'cause you had a really bad time down there in the sewers...We all felt a little guilty about it, really!"

He started walking again, his steps expressing his mood. "I came down this way to think...You could have said something, still!" His voice was accusatory.

She sighed and momentarily closed her eyes. "A promise is a promise. I wouldn't break a promise with Cloud unless I really, really had to." Marlene walked to the side and behind the boy, their soft footsteps the only other noise besides their conversation.

Zeph snorted. "Why, would he kill you if you did?" He readjusted his headband.

Marlene giggled. "Of course not! You should know Cloud by now."

"I thought I did." Zeph kicked a stray pebble.

"He's really not that much different than before. It's just harder to sneak 'cause he can smell us."

"Yeah? The radio said he killed a hunter." He had put two and two together. That was why he came home that morning bloodied and burned.

Marlene shrugged behind the boy. "Cloud wasn't happy about it. He said they hurt him really bad when he just wanted to be left alone."

"D'you believe him?" Zeph looked back with an eyebrow raised. Why was Cloud out there, anyway? Was it because of him...?

She nodded. "Cloud wouldn't do that for fun. He saved you and the other kids from that other werewolf, didn't he? He does what he has to do."

The boy sighed. Marlene was right, he had gone down there with his friends to kill Valdt. Then Zeph had woken up in his and Tifa's home. The path they were on turned to dirt as they entered the shadow of the Midgar ruins and the slums.

"Y'know what else? Tifa's afraid of werewolves!" Marlene let out a small laugh.

"...No she's not!" Why marry what you're afraid of?

"Is too! She was really afraid of Cloud when he told her. Now, she'll hang around him when he's all furry." She looked thoughtful. "I saw a picture of him as a big bad wolf once. I kinda wanna see him up close someday, but he's so shy about it."

Zeph crossed his arms. "Werewolves are terrifying. You'd probably wanna run away." He remembered how Valdt would sometimes change just to savagely scare the children, trying to reach for them in their cells in the low light. That monster reveled in fear, and werewolves weren't hard to fear at all just by looking at them.

"I dunno. Denzel went looking for him that one night when he stayed in the garage. He said he looked cool. Cloud made him go back to bed, though." Marlene thought a moment about how casual she was being about what should be a grave subject. Still, it wasn't something serious to her anymore.

The thought terrified Zeph, but Cloud had said as much earlier; he had been lurking there, so very close to him as he slept with the reassuring assumption that they were down there to protect the bar from werewolves..."You trust him...Why?"

Marlene nodded. "I told you, he hasn't really changed much since he got scratched. Denzel and I were worried for a little bit, but...He never stopped being who he was, to us at least. Maybe he's ruder to customers?" She scratched her head as she thought. "I know you haven't known him as long as me and Denzel, but I really mean it when I say Cloud's still a good guy. It doesn't matter if he's a werewolf or not."

Zeph didn't say anything for a while, and just thought some more. He really did like Cloud and Tifa, he admitted to himself; but he didn't know if he could handle this or not. As the initial shock and horror began to wear off happier memories balanced out his thoughts. Cloud and Tifa had taken a risk bringing him home, because that's what they thought he needed at the time. A home. One with siblings and mother and father figures. Despite the guilt over his dead sister, it had been great. But now he found out what the catch was for accepting the offer given to him.

He made his way towards a path in the dust, the sunlight waning further to the west. After a few more minutes of walking, he found his destination: The old shack he and his sister lived in before Valdt abducted them. "This was my home, before everything happened..." He opened up the rusty door, revealing the cluttered insides to the children. He glimpsed at where his old flashlight was, and he picked it up before turning it on.

"So this is where you lived..." Marlene looked around in a melancholy fascination.

* * *

Cloud watched the bar from his position near the door as Denzel waited tables. Looking towards his left, the light had waned from the window that stood in front of a now empty booth. Some worry panged in him; he was unsure where Marlene or Zeph had gone. They had left the boy in the garage to think things over and the girl had gone over to a friend's house to play. Sighing, he checked the time on his phone. It was time to close the bar. He opened the door to place the "Closed" sign up when a couple of hunters barged in, yammering about drinks. They had tied up their dog by the steps. The hound was staring at him as he closed the door. Did Zeph tell them?

"Sorry, sorry," said the first hunter, and Cloud immediately recognized his voice: It was the same voice from the alley earlier. "Just want a quick drink, sir." His smile felt mocking, and the warrior didn't take kindly to such things in his home. Still, he swallowed his pride so as to not make a scene.

Cloud nodded sternly. "Quick drinks' at the counter." He went back to watching the bar silently, his arms crossed over his chest.

The two hunters made their way towards the bar, sitting at the stools provided. Tifa turned around, giving them her usual smile. "Hello! It's almost closing time, but what can I get you?" she beamed.

"Good evening little lady, we'd just like some beer." The second one silently nodded in agreement.

Tifa nodded as she acquired beer glasses and filled them with the amber liquid. Finished, she placed the drinks in front of the motley duo, smiling. "Two beers, there you go!" she chimed. The two nodded then knocked back their drinks. The day had been hot, the last day of July, and they were tired from their sweeps with nothing to show for it but a dead end.

After a few minutes of silent drinking they finished. The first hunter took out some bills and coins to pay. He placed them on the counter, nodding his thanks for the beer; Tifa thanked him and picked up the money, putting it in the cash register. She frowned when she looked at one of the coins, but closed the register with it inside regardless. "Well, it's closing time! I hope to see you again soon."

The hunters almost looked disappointed. "Perhaps. Beer was pretty good." The hunter turned to his partner. "Come on, you. Gotta get back to the barracks." They made their way out slowly while taking a good look at Cloud as he helped Denzel clean tables. They took one last look around, then left through the front door after giving the blond bouncer a quick up and down. Cloud immediately went forward and locked the door with a sigh.

Tifa's warm smile turned into a frown. "Guess this was the silver gil trick you overheard..." She lifted a grayish gil coin, and Cloud came over to investigate it himself. He picked it up with a gloved hand as he cocked his head; a moment later and he felt the sting of silver on his wrist as he tested it.

"...Keep it in case you need to throw it at someone who deserves it," he said flatly. Cloud looked around with a worried look on his face as he rubbed the burn mark. "Marlene and Zeph aren't back." He had asked Denzel to check on the boy before he worked the bar; Zeph had disappeared, Cloud assumed he took a walk to mull over everything.

Tifa looked out the dark window, the sun's glow growing ever weaker. "It's getting late...When you said you were going to give him space, I don't think you meant to stay out all night..." Cloud shook his head in response.

Denzel spoke up, "Do you want me to go looking for them?"

Tifa put a hand to her lips. "Could you check Marlene's friend's house? At least we'll know if she's there or not." The boy nodded and left through the front door in a hurry. The house was a couple of doors down, and he would be back shortly. Cloud frowned, he had a bad feeling welling in his chest. He wordlessly went upstairs, disappearing from Tifa's view as he climbed the steps.

A few minutes later and Denzel came back, locking the door behind him. His face was a worried frown as he turned back towards the bar. "Marlene left a couple of hours ago, they said."

Tifa's eyes widened and she bit her lower lip. "Oh, no...Denzel, I want you to stay here and watch over the house. I-"

Cloud stomped down the stairs. "You coming, Teef?" He was dressed in the robe Yuffie gifted him. He looked over at Denzel. "Hold down the fort for us, buddy. We'll be back."

"Are you sure about this? Those hunters might track you..." she fretted.

He put his hood up and his eyes softly glowed under it. "Gotta find the kids. To hell with the hunters."

The adults made their way to the garage and then the alley, looking this way and that. Zeph's scent went towards the still busy plaza...Cloud shrugged, the children were his first priority. He and Tifa disappeared into the crowd of people, the werewolf keeping an ear out for growls while following the scent. Cloud heard a faint growl somewhere behind him after a few minutes before they pushed their way through the crowd as Marlene's scent mingled with Zeph's out of the many smells of the central hub. The noise of the area made it difficult to tell if the growling was following them or just close by from some stray mutt.

They broke out of the other side and into a dark, wide alley that looked sinister in the night. Tifa held Cloud's arm as he tracked the children down the road, the darkness making it difficult to see until her eyes acclimated further. She looked back the way they came, making sure they weren't followed by any lingering hunters as they quickly made their way from the plaza. The couple noticed they were getting increasingly close to the Sector Four ruins, a mostly residential slum. Cloud let out a sigh.

"What are they doing out here..." At least he didn't have to worry about the smell of the mass of pedestrians as it grew fainter. He hadn't eaten since lunch, and he didn't want his hunting instincts to tug on him too much. He swallowed hard and focused on his task. There was food at home.

Tifa shrugged as she worried about the children. She looked back again, nothing. They continued on towards the canopy of the Midgar plate, and Cloud noticed the scents were getting stronger. A few more steps and it grew ever more, and the faint sound of familiar voices came to his ears. It brought a wave of relief, they were alright!

Then, he smelled something, and he froze.

"Cloud?" Tifa whispered in a worried tone. "What is it?"

* * *

"See...This is my mom, and this is my sister, Fiore." Zeph pointed at the people in the picture, his expression sad and nostalgic as he sat on his knees on the floor with Marlene. "Mom died of Geostigma, and Fiore..."

Marlene nodded. "Cloud and Tifa told us the night you came home. I'm sorry, Zeph." Her expression matched the sadness on his face.

He shook his head. "I...still feel guilty for being the only one left alive, even when everyone tells me not to. But that's why I was training! So I could stop stuff like that..."

"Just like Cloud?" Marlene gave a smile.

"...I guess." He looked down. He always trained him...

Marlene frowned. "It's getting late. We really should be getting back home, don't you think?"

Zeph had a thoughtful look grow on his face. "I don't know where I belong. Where I wanna go."

The girl gawked at him, her brown eyes conveying her confusion. "You don't wanna be with us?"

Zeph shook his head. "It's not that...Even with Cloud, I want to handle that...I still feel guilty for being...Well, happy."

Marlene rolled her eyes. "You're way too much like Cloud for your own good!"

He stared at her. "I am?"

Before she could respond, a scratching sound came from the door. The children were frozen in fear at the sound. At last Zeph picked himself up and took out his sword, putting himself in front of Marlene. He hoped to be able to protect someone he cared about this time, if it was really needed. The boy put the flashlight on the nearly empty table, facing the door so he could see who it was. The door shoved open; a wiry, vile eyed man creeped through, watching the children in the darkness. He looked to be middle aged, his dark hair disheveled and peppered with grey, his teeth crooked and not quite right...

"Oooh...Hello, little morsels. I thought I heard children...I guess my hearing is still sharp." He took a few small steps into the shack, walking towards the two. Zeph watched the man saunter towards them like they were prizes. Marlene gasped.

 _'If you came across a real monster, or a real werewolf in the dark, if you aren't just sparring...I bet you'd freeze up.'_

Zeph poked the man's gnarled, reaching hand with the tip of his blade. A wretched, inhuman snarl emanated from the man's mouth. He rubbed his hand as black smoke lifted from the cut. A grimace formed on the pale, malevolent face. "That won't save you from me, boy. I hunger for man-meat."

"You better leave us alone, or Cloud's gonna beat you up!" Marlene said matter-of-factly. The children took a few steps back, hoping they could possibly make it around the table and out into the slums.

"Someone I should know?" the werewolf said mockingly with a humorless chuckle. He sniffed the air and frowned. "You were near another..." He shrugged. "Finders keepers." The man suddenly went to grab Zeph's arm, but was instead blocked by the blade. The contact made a hissing noise. The werewolf was growing more irritated with his meals, and he let out a low growl. The scared children backed away further, then charged towards the door. Marlene flew out the door with Zeph keeping her back safe; He was caught after a moment by a vile hand as the table was flung out of the man's way. The child was paralyzed by fear momentarily as the grisly hand twisted his blue shirt.

 _'If you want to fight people or monsters, you're going to need to stop being led by your fear.'_

Zeph swung his blade again at the man, slicing a shin to the bone with a sizzle. He was let loose after a screech from the evil man, and he charged out of the shack only for the swift werewolf to slam him up against the outside walls of the rickety slum home, the air knocked from his lungs; Zeph's sword was dislodged from his hand and he slid off the metal sheets.

"One down...You won't taste as good as the little girl, a bit stringy I bet, but it'll feel _good_ to take out my frustrations on you, first..." He firmly held Zeph's arms as he squirmed on the ground. Shivering in terror he noticed sharp, growing teeth and a strange crunching noise as the monster's face gradually changed into some horrible hybrid of man and wolf. Zeph remembered that sort of face as he began to hyperventilate, remembered the moments before someone lost their life in front of him-

A sharp jab of pain went through the wiry man as a powerful kick connected with his abdomen, knocking him to his back and having him gasp for air. Zeph took the opening and scrambled away, back to the walls of unoccupied slum shacks and slowly edging away from the two strangers. He looked down at the partially changed man and then up towards the black hooded figure standing, facing the other man. Who was he?

"They're... _MY_...kids..." the hooded man growled angrily. The voice was deep and throaty, but there was something almost familiar about it to Zeph. The hooded man slowly approached the other on the ground. Zeph noticed his hands had claws slowly pushing out of the tips of the severely swollen digits, and the man flexed them slowly. It was another werewolf! The child grabbed for his weapon in case there was another fight that would involve him, and he edged away slowly towards a possible escape. Did this one get Marlene?

"H-hey, we can share the food! There's two of them. I found them, so I want the little girl. You can have the boy." The man on the ground motioned his head towards Zeph, the boy eyeing both as he froze in his tracks. He swallowed nervously. The whimpering werewolf seemed to grow hair in the very low light that entered the slums...

The hooded figure shook his head. "Eat them?" He kicked the other in the side, hard enough to move him several inches, a whine squeaked out of his lips. "You think this is about _eating_ them?" he snarled.

"What the hell else is it about, do you have tea time with them or something?!" The man flipped over and snarled as his body changed faster, his cheap clothing tearing apart as his body warped and grew.

The hooded figure paused as he placed his freakish hands by his hood. "...Sometimes."

Noises that terrified Zeph came from the hooded man as he grew larger while he growled. The outfit he was wearing somehow conformed to his new size. The boy decided to retreat as he heard a snarl close to him and then the sound of a body smashing into cheap metal. He didn't look back as he charged back the way he came earlier as fast as his legs would take him. He tripped as his shoe snagged on something jutting out of the ground, and he looked back to see the werewolves fighting each other. The clothed one was making quick work of the other, and it tried to run off in Zeph's direction.

The boy choked on his breath and held out his silver blade as the clothed werewolf dug his claws deep into the other monster's back, sending screeches echoing into the slums as it stopped the other from from getting any closer to the boy. "Zeph!" A terrified voice behind him squeaked. He looked over and a silhouette of Tifa greeted him, waving him over to her. He picked himself up and sprinted towards her position, elated to see the warmhearted woman in the dark, violent slums. A few moments later and they met. Tifa held him as she crouched down, warily eyeing the werewolf fight far behind the boy.

"Tifa, why are you shaking so hard?" Zeph asked.

"I told you she was afraid of werewolves!" Marlene said as she came from behind her. Zeph smiled in relief; the little girl hadn't been attacked by one of the monsters behind them.

"Marlene..." Tifa moaned in embarrassment. "Come on, let's get away from the fight..." She took his hand to move him further away from the fight. He looked back at the two monsters as they made their way up the path.

As one of the werewolves tried charging up towards them again in a desperate bid to escape, his large eyes wide and blood dripping from deep wounds, the other slammed its weight into the challenger's back. There was a short struggle before the robed werewolf chomped on the other's neck, pulling and tearing at it violently until the spine separated and the flesh ripped apart with help of its claws, decapitating the other after a few moments.

Zeph watched the spectacle in a horrified daze as the winner licked his snout in the darkness. It looked up at Zeph and the others with glowing blue eyes. Was that...Cloud? He shuddered, and quickened his pace while tugging on Tifa's shirt to get her attention. He was too terrified to speak. The werewolf crawled towards them and Tifa looked back at the sound of claws scratching the dust and pebbles and the tug on her shirt. Her grip strengthened on Zeph's hand and then loosened as she stopped and relaxed. Zeph almost tripped on his feet, then froze in terror as the nightmare creature came ever closer. "T-Tifa..."

"It's alright Zeph. It's just Cloud."

Marlene peeked from behind Tifa, then came closer as Zeph squeaked at her to come back; obviously if Denzel got to see Cloud fluffy, so would she. The girl casually walked up to the werewolf as she looked him up and down. "Denzel was right, you do look cool like this!" she chimed. Tifa laughed at the expression on Cloud's face as he let out a little groan.

Zeph stared at the beast in front of him. They studied each other for a few moments. He was still afraid but not quite as terrified as he was a few minutes ago. It wasn't quite like the fear he had when he was stuck in Valdt's prison; he chalked it up to Tifa's presence, and the fact Cloud hadn't made a move to harm him just yet.

Cloud raised himself up and towered over the three. Zeph jumped back behind Tifa, trying to mentally reassure himself that he would make it out of the slums alive tonight. The werewolf closed his eyes and a few moments later Cloud was his usual self again, the outfit overly large. He focused on the glowing materia in his robe, and after a moment the suit covered him properly. He opened his eyes, and a stern look crossed his face as his hands rested on his hips.

"Why did you two go out here, all alone? You could have been killed!" he said in an upset voice.

Marlene looked down. "Sorry, Cloud..."

Zeph looked up towards the werewolf. "I...I wanted to go home, and think about everything."

Tifa raised a brow. "Home?"

The boy pointed towards his old shack. The adults immediately understood. Cloud looked over at Tifa, and gave her a nod.

"I'll be right back. Can you keep a look out?"

"Yeah. I don't think we have much time, though. Your friend over there was noisy..." She motioned towards the wolf corpse.

Cloud looked down at Zeph, and offered his hand to the boy. Zeph stared at it; it was a little dirty from plodding on the ground. He wondered why there was no blood splattered on it and then decided to stop thinking about that altogether. "It's alright, Zeph."

He took in a sharp breath. His green eyes darted between Tifa, who gave him an encouraging smile, and Cloud, who was giving him a pleading look. After a few moments he warily took his hand, then Cloud moved towards the shack with him. He could feel the shaking in Zeph's hand and instinctively rubbed it. "So, these are the slums you're from..."

Zeph thought he was judging him. "It was all we had besides our each other, you know," he said in a defensive voice.

Cloud raised a brow at his tone as he entered the tiny house. "...I had a dear friend that lived in the slums. Tifa, Barret and Marlene lived in the slums for a while, too." He looked at the small room in front of him. "I stayed there for a bit as well."

Zeph took his flashlight and shined it towards the corner his family picture was at. "I-I thought you and Tifa were from...Nibelheim?" He took a few steps and took the picture reverently, then moved quickly towards the tiny bedroom. The sounds of him rummaging through things entered the main room.

Cloud crossed his arms. "We are. But, we ended up here for...different reasons."

The child reappeared, carrying a leather pouch. He approached Cloud, finally ready to leave his past home. Looking up at his guardian with eyes that glinted with fear and curiosity, he asked a question the werewolf anticipated. "So, what brought you to Midgar then?" Cloud gently put a hand on the child's back and then closed the door as they left. He put his hood back on to hide his spikes.

"...I'd rather not talk about that right now. It's...a long story." His voice was quiet. "Maybe some day." They approached Tifa and Marlene's position, but they were no where to be found. "Tifa?"

She appeared to his left. "Cloud! Um, we have to go."

Cloud blinked, then followed Tifa's eyes to two masses on the ground. A familiar scent reached his nose as he sniffed. "...That's that hunter that was chasing me the other night!"

"Oh. Well, um, I knocked him out. The dog, too. I guess he followed us down here..." Her hand was covering her mouth.

"...I guess we should mosey then," Cloud said dryly. Tifa giggled, taking his arm as the four quickly made their way towards home.

* * *

The trip home had been quiet as they used alley ways to make their way towards the bar in a bid to meet as few hunters as they could. When they finally made it home, Denzel immediately asked for the story from Tifa as Cloud went upstairs to shower away any evidence of the fight. His feet were filthy from the slums after he had left his sneakers with Tifa when he had smelled the other werewolf.

Cloud's shower was long and hot. His body had healed quickly from any minor injuries that pathetic challenger gave him; how could he even think he had a chance? Edge was his territory, and those were his children. That he had been so foolish to lay a finger on either child when he had to have smelled another werewolf's scent on them was his death knell. Cloud looked down at the drain as the water swirled around it, still thinking over the fight.

Leaving the bathroom clean and refreshed he smelled Tifa's cooking coming from downstairs, and his stomach rumbled. It smelled like one of her beef dishes, and it put him in a better mood. He went to the bedroom first, to inspect his robe for any tears or stains that he would need fixed up later.

* * *

"So you're gonna stay with us still?" Denzel asked hopefully.

Zeph nodded. "I guess I'm safe here until I know how to fight better."

Marlene giggled. "I think you like us too much!"

He blushed, but said nothing as he looked down at the table. He did like them all, even though he knew he would be wary around Cloud for the foreseeable future.

"I was hoping you wouldn't leave us. It's nice, having you around...You cut my chores in half!" Denzel's dry humor made Zeph grin a little.

Zeph looked up with an amused glint in his eyes. "If I lived in my old home, I guess I wouldn't have as many to do, huh?"

Marlene shook her head. "It's really small, but with that fight there'd be a lot of clean up, right?"

Before he could answer, Tifa walked over with dishes of food. A few moments later and Cloud had made his way down the stairs, eyeing Tifa as she picked up their dishes to place on the table; she looked back at him with a particular smile that he returned. He followed behind her, the smell of her and the food intoxicating to the hungry werewolf.

Zeph sat at his usual place next to Denzel, occasionally eyeing Cloud as he ate. Sometimes the man would look over as if he had noticed the stares, then either went back to his food or someone would ask him a question in a conversation, or ask Zeph something, too. He wondered why everything seemed normal as always. Wouldn't there be punishments? Maybe tomorrow, when they'd thought of something appropriate. Or maybe they thought they had gone through enough of a punishment, he wondered.

* * *

"...Are you really that afraid of me?" Cloud frowned at the wary green eyes watching him from the bed, fear wafting into his nose as he approached and then crouched down by the child.

Zeph looked away. "...Not that much," he lied.

Cloud sighed. As long as he was safe, the warrior guessed it didn't matter.

"...I tried to keep Marlene safe," Zeph said, changing the subject.

"She told me. I guess you're learning to take control of a situation." He nodded in approval. "I'm proud of you."

Zeph turned to look back at Cloud, then shook his head. "He still got me. If you hadn't showed up..."

Cloud rubbed the back of his head and blushed. "You bought me some time...I guess I should have brought my sword with me. Would have been a lot quicker." He admitted to himself he enjoyed the tussle, however. Most werewolves were going to have trouble fighting him because of his enhancements.

Zeph looked shyly at Cloud. He was going to have to open up and learn from his guardian if he wanted to move on from his fears. "Um...How long have you been...?"

"Almost half a year. It's...different, but I'm coping with it." Cloud shrugged weakly. "Tifa and you kids really help keep me centered as I figure out everything."

Zeph studied his guardian, he was still trying to figure him out. Something he feared, someone he knew he could trust...He looked down at Cloud's hand and shifted his body to face him, and cautiously studied his hand with his own. Cloud slowly flipped it over. "It's just so much to take in right now..."

"Take your time. We're still here for you if you need us, that hasn't changed at all."

Zeph nodded, then looked back up at the warrior. Cloud's training had been precious today, and he wasn't done learning. "Can we practice tomorrow?"

Cloud grinned. "Sure."


	27. A Deadly Discussion

"Uhn..." Merle woke up to a horrible headache as he pushed himself off the ground and holding a hand to his sullied head. _'Every time I get near a werewolf I end up getting knocked out by something...'_ What did it this time? He looked down and noticed to his relief that the dog he brought with him was stirring and whining. _'At least this one isn't all over my face...'_ Slowly recovering he stumbled towards the scene of the fight he heard, trying to remember what could have knocked him out. Certainly not that scared woman!

His flashlight waving this way and that, Merle finally found the corpse of the werewolf. It had been decapitated in a rough manner; a large, sickly eye stared back lifelessly at the hunter, pointed teeth glinting in the light. He wondered where the other could possibly be, and if it had taken the woman and the girl to its den to eat them. The thought made him shudder. What were they doing down there, anyway? Did one of the werewolves trick her into a walk or something? He shrugged as he pulled out his communicator.

"WRO, this is 041 Merle. Requesting recovery."

"Roger, 041 Merle. Situation?" A deeper voice than last time sounded off.

"Another werewolf attack, this time it was two of 'em. They seemed to have fought each other to the death, one missing, one decapitated by the other. Need the body removed."

"Roger. Stay in position."

Merle sighed. He had tracked the trail of the werewolf that killed Harry and severely injured Ichi to the back of a bar, but any attempts to find the wily bastard had been futile; the bartender had been unwilling to allow a tracker hound into the business, citing the allergies of one of her children to the inquiring hunter that had asked her. Still, what were the chances of that monster living in a bar with uneaten children? It was all very strange.

He nudged the corpse, its black blood glistening in the flashlight's rays. _'Werewolves don't like to play nice with each other, do they?'_ Not good with humans, not good with themselves. The minutes passed by as he studied the dead werewolf, its long limbs covered in a fur less full than the torso, giving a lanky look to the arms and showing off the muscles of the upper legs. The paws were not quite paws or hands, and sported vicious claws on the tips of their digits. Merle wasn't sure how useful their thumbs were, and he bent down to gingerly inspect one. It was stiff and hard to move; more than likely it would have trouble using a doorknob. They were strange and ugly looking beasts, in Merle's opinion.

Soon a truck came to his position from the direction of the city, And Merle stood up and waved them down. The recovery team started their work on the corpse, picking up the head and the torso and attempting to disinfect any bodily fluids in the dirt. Another hunter came up to Merle, patting him on the back. "Well, that's one less werewolf in the city. I wonder how many could possibly live in the area?"

Merle spat on the ground. "Who knows. Seems like a festering disease to me. No one knew about this until recently? It's hard to believe."

The other hunter shrugged. "Been chaotic the last several years, hasn't it? Not that it matters anymore. We have orders to go back to our usual law keeping duties in Edge. Junon is still on alert within the city, however."

Merle raised his brows. "There's another werewolf confirmed in the city, and we're gonna just...stop?"

"The Big Cheese said he's going to have his friend find'em."

"How's he gonna find one without a hound?" Merle frowned.

The hunter shrugged. "No idea. President Tuesti seems pretty confident, however."

"Whatever. I'll believe it when I see a pile of corpses."

* * *

Cloud awoke the next morning to the sound of his phone's vibration upon the wood of his nightstand. He groaned as sunlight invaded his eyes as he turned about in bed. Cloud sniffled before grabbing the cellphone and accepting the call, not looking at who the caller was in his bleary eyed stupor. "H...Hello...?" His voice was low and rough, his eyes half open and wincing at either the light or a stray spike of hair grazing them.

A deep, calm voice resonated from the other end, snapping him out of his stupor. "Good morning, Cloud. I'm sorry that I've been so busy lately. Yuffie told me you've been getting yourself into a bit of trouble there in Edge."

Cloud let out a sleepy chuckle. "Reeve. Morning...Yeah, I have been."

"Mind telling me what you can? I trust Yuffie, but..." A small laugh came from the other end.

"Yeah, sure." Cloud gave him his story, the misadventures he'd had over the past five months. He sighed at the end of it, wondering what his friend would say.

"I see. You're the one that killed that hunter the other night, though, weren't you?" His voice was calm but Reeve obviously wanted an explanation, if Cloud really was mostly himself as he claimed.

"I was trying to escape, but...they followed me. That silver they used...You have no idea how painful it is." Cloud touched the spot on his abdomen where the bullet had entered. "I went out there to stay away from others, not butcher people."

"The surviving hunters said as much about following you. They weren't supposed to be out there, so I suppose it was self defense. And perhaps I'm saying as much because we're friends, too."

Cloud give a low chuckle out of relief. "Thanks. I'd really like to keep things like that to a minimum."

"Heh. But I do have a request of you, and you'd be paid by the WRO for it."

Cloud furrowed his brow as he laid his head on his pillow again. "...Yeah? What is it?"

"I assume it was you who took care of that other werewolf last night?" Reeve asked hopefully.

"Yeah. Was trying to hurt the kids...Reeve, what are you guys doing with the corpses?" He trusted Reeve, but Cloud never trusted scientists unless he had no choice.

"Trying to develop a cure or a vaccine to whatever is causing this, but it's been extremely difficult." He paused, Cloud figured he was about to give him his offer. "I want you to be the hunter in Edge."

Cloud blinked, putting a hand to his head and rubbing his face. "Hunt werewolves? Me?" Certainly he hated most other werewolves besides Penelope, and he wouldn't have any others in his territory without his permission. Permission wasn't something he'd give freely, either.

"Yes. You wouldn't have to worry about hunters in the city trying to find you, and you'll get paid a salary for it that you should find acceptable."

Cloud thought about it a minute. Put his delivery service on hiatus to work for the WRO? Work had been slowing down as the WRO helped rebuild the world, and it hadn't helped that he had been out of work for so long because of the hunters. He still wanted to stay busy, too. Being a courier payed plenty still, but it wouldn't hurt to try a new venue if the one he was in now was slowing, he thought. "Why not..."

"Excellent. Most of the hunters and hounds have been moved to Junon for sweeps there since last night, as the area seems to be a hotbed-"

Cloud interrupted. "Keep them out of the forests."

"What?"

"Keep them out of the forests near Junon. A friend lives there...She's like me. Just wants to be left alone." His voice was firm on the matter.

Reeve let out a small laugh. "If you insist. I'll trust your judgement on the matter."

"Thanks. So, you want me to be on the look out for werewolves in the city. I can't guarantee I'll nab one every week, but I'll search for 'em."

"That's all I ask of you. They've been extremely difficult to find, and the Junon werewolves have been bolder. Maybe we can bother with Kalm at a later date...But right now, the main cities are my top priority." They both knew it was like overturning a rock and finding squirming insects on the bottom. You don't know what is festering near you until you take notice, or so the both of them thought.

"Right."

"Mind if I dispatch Cait Sith to collect data with you?" He sounded hopeful.

Cloud laughed. "Are you tryin' to tell me you want to experience some adventure with me while you're stuck in your headquarters?" He was smiling.

It was Reeve's turn to laugh. "Perhaps. Oh, Barret said he was coming to check on Marlene. He was...upset when he heard the descriptions of the two people that were in the area from the hunter, before he was knocked out."

Cloud paled, his eyes snapping open. "I-I see..." His voice was noticeably fearful to the WRO president. "I knew he was coming soon, but it would've been nice if he called."

"...You haven't told him yet, have you?" Reeve asked.

Cloud said nothing. He sighed softly into the receiver.

Reeve chuckled. "I'm sure you'll be fine. If he doesn't kill you immediately, that is." Cloud knew he was joking with him, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that the inevitable talk could possibly end in his swift execution.

"Right..."

"Hm. Well, I have some things to take care of, now." Reeve sighed tiredly. "I'm sorry it took so long to get a hold of you."

"I know you're busy, Reeve. Thanks for calling, I really appreciate it," Cloud said sincerely.

"It was nothing, Cloud. I'll ship off Cait Sith to Seventh Heaven today. Good luck, hunter."

Cloud snorted. "Thanks."

He hung up, then stared at the ceiling. _'So now I'm a hunter.'_ His mind turned to Barret. _'A dead hunter...'_ He sighed and got himself up, preparing for the day ahead of him. Cloud shuffled off into the shower and then downstairs after he dried off and dressed. No matter what he couldn't get the thought out of his head: Barret was coming today. Not tomorrow or the next day, but today.

He snapped out of his thoughts as the scent of fear mingled with breakfast and his coffee. He frowned and looked around, his eyes falling on Zeph. "Uh, mornin' everyone." He moved his gaze to his seat and sat on it.

A low chorus of "Morning" rang out.

"Are you okay, Cloud? Did you have a nightmare?" Marlene inquired.

He shook his head after sipping from his mug. "No...I um..." He bit his lip.

"Cloud?" Denzel was looking up at him.

"I..." He stood up and walked to Tifa. She was almost finished dividing the plates of food up when he grabbed her shoulder and moved her towards the alcohol storage. "Teef, I talked to Reeve this morning."

Her eyes lit up. "Oh! What did he say?"

"He said he was moving the hunters to Junon. I'll be free to walk around the city again." He fidgeted on his feet a little.

Tifa tilted her head to the side a little. "I'm glad, but what about the werewolves inside the city?"

"...That...is my responsibility, now."

She blinked a few times, her smile frozen on her face. "What?"

Cloud let out a little sigh. "Reeve wants me to hunt the werewolves preying on people in Edge. I agreed to it."

Tifa frowned. "But what about your delivery service?"

He shook his head. "I've been out of commission for so long I wouldn't be surprised if my customer base went with other options, now that there's a few available." He looked away and rubbed a cask of Corel Wine. "I'll get to be home more, and he's paying me a salary for it."

"Oh. Well..." It would be nice if he was in the area if an emergency occurred, and it wasn't like he couldn't handle another werewolf.

Cloud sniffed, then frowned as he opened the door to Zeph standing by it. His face was beet red and fear was pouring off of him in buckets. Denzel was nearby, rubbing the back of his head. The spiky haired warrior looked between the two. "What?"

Tifa squeezed by them to get back into the kitchen. "Well, Mr. Hunter, you better eat up before a long day of catching werewolves!"

"Huh?" The children were looking at Cloud as he came back to his seat.

"I'm gonna kill other werewolves for the WRO," he stated.

"Really?! That's so cool!" Denzel beamed at his guardian.

Marlene put a hand to her mouth. "What about your deliveries?"

He shrugged. "My clients probably found someone else to deliver for them after I was gone for so long..." He couldn't blame them. Things needed to be delivered, and since he wasn't someone else probably would.

Zeph gazed up at Cloud. He really wasn't sure what to say, especially after last night. His guardian was a werewolf, and that had been a taxing revelation. It was still an extremely raw feeling since it had been kept from him, even if he could understand why it was. But now Cloud was going to go out and kill other werewolves, just like he did last night. Or maybe with his swords instead, Zeph reasoned. What could he say? "Good luck," he finally said.

Cloud gave him a soft smile and nodded; the scent of fear subsided a little bit to his relief. "Thanks."

Tifa finished placing the dishes of food down and took a seat. The family ate in silence for a few minutes until Marlene began talking about a subject Cloud had forgotten in the moment. "When Papa comes back to see us, are you gonna tell him, Cloud?"

Cloud almost choked on a piece of bacon. "Oh. Uh..." He looked at Tifa. "I-I forgot to mention that Reeve said Barret was on his way."

Her eyes widened. "What?" She looked at Zeph, who stared blankly at her. "Don't say anything."

"But-"

"I'll figure it out," Cloud interrupted. "I don't like hiding it, but it's something I have to do."

"Isn't Mr. Barret a really good friend of yours, though?" Zeph thought that if he could slowly grow to live with Cloud's furry little problem, Barret should be fine.

Tifa tapped the table with her fingers. "He is, but he's not always...reasonable." She didn't mean it in a bad way, it was that Barret had a way of reacting first and pondering later many a time.

Marlene shrugged. "I'll soften him up."

Denzel snorted after munching on a piece of egg. "I dunno if that'd even work right now."

The girl pouted. "Papa'll listen to me!"

Cloud rubbed his forehead with a groan. He was so dead.

* * *

"Spiky! You an' Evan were bullshittin' the WRO about killin' that mutt! How come?" Barret had showed up sometime after lunch. The large man appeared just as Cloud exited from the front door, his harness holding a mass of swords. Cloud's eyes widened under his spiky bangs as Barret approached, not so much out of surprise from his appearance but that he wasn't quite ready to die just yet.

"Um...Well, maybe I got the wrong one." He shrugged and damned his move into further lies. This was going to be a difficult day.

"It coulda gotten my Marlene last night like it got that hunter! Tifa, too! Where the hell were you, and why were they out in the slums?!" Barret was shaking his fist angrily at the warrior.

"...Zeph and Marlene wandered there while talking in the evening. We went looking for them when they hadn't returned."

Barret tapped a foot as he crossed his arms. "That hunter only saw Marlene and Tifa. Where were you?"

 _'Killing the other werewolf, of course...'_ Cloud sighed. "Maybe if your hunter friend didn't get knocked out, he would have seen me." He crossed his arms as he went down the steps and on to the street. "Anyway, Reeve asked me to go after any werewolf I can find in the city. I better get to work..."

"And how do you plan on findin' any without a hound? Just walk around, hopin' for the best?" Barret was shaking his head, thinking his friend was crazy again.

Cloud grinned weakly, a dry answer on his lips. "Guess I'll sniff them out somehow."

"Smart ass. I'm comin' with ya, can't have you out there without backup!" He lifted his metal hand up, and Cloud's grin disappeared with the news.

"What if something happened to you, do you really want me to have to explain that to Marlene? I'll be fine, really. Go visit her instead..." He motioned with his head towards the front door.

Barret shook his head. "We ain't gonna find nothin' until you decide to get one of the hounds, anyway. So, we're gonna walk around, I'll probably find something to get Marlene and the boys, then we'll head home while I get it into yo spiky head that you need to be able to track a mutt before you kill a mutt." He stared into Cloud's eyes with a withering expression.

Cloud's eyes narrowed. He considered that a challenge. "I bet you I can bag one without a stupid dog." He turned on his heel and swiftly headed towards the central plaza. Barret shouted at him to slow down, but he ignored the protest, sniffing as he went. Humans were everywhere, a background scent permeating the area. He frowned. _'If I wanted to stay hidden during the day, I'd hang out in the ruins.'_ He made his way towards the Sector Four ruins, hoping to find another there or in another sector neighboring it.

Coming closer to his destination he looked back behind his shoulder. Barret was waving and yelling at him in the distance. Cloud shook his head and walked off further from the plaza as he turned his head away. "Not interested..." The slums looked different in the day time as he made his approach, the only sounds his footsteps and clanking swords as he left Barret behind. There had to be one hidden out here...

Cloud went deeper still, finally in the slums and under the plate. He sniffed a few times, and something hit his nose just right, though it was faint. The warrior followed the scent trail, the smell growing stronger as he came nearer Sector Five. The heat grew in his chest, and he attempted to calm it; he would kill this one with his swords instead, even if he secretly wanted to taste its blood in his mouth. It was something he barely admitted to himself still.

Occasionally the scent would seem to blur with various other scents that reminded him of potpourri or gunpowder of all things, and Cloud wondered if the werewolves were starting to somehow cover their tracks; it would explain their elusiveness. Unlike Junon, Edge had an entire network of ruins and an expansive underground sewer system, and a still intact plate with who knows what residing on it. The hunters obviously stayed in Edge proper, but how could they have missed all of this with those dogs? Were they cowards?

Hearing Barret's shouting far behind him, he quickened his pace and followed the trail as best he could. Cloud knew he was getting close, going this way and that way as he went deeper, where the light barely touched the nearly abandoned shanty towns. After bending down and sniffing the ground for a few moments he continued on towards the source of the smell. It grew stronger, causing him to pant. He licked his front teeth, examining their sharp points gently with his tongue. His mind was driven towards one thing: kill the intruder. He was getting an idea of who it was; another male, slightly older than him.

Finally he found the source of the scent. It emanated from a tall shack on the border of sector five, the area deep and dark and far away from the city proper and the still in use shacks on the border with Edge. He could smell the faint scent of dry, rotting meat too, that bothered his nose. He quietly snorted and shook his head as it hit, not used to the smell. Cloud tensed as a twang of bloodthirst resonated through him; he had to take a few deep breaths through his mouth before kicking the door in to a pitch black room filled with the clutter of ruined furniture, bones, and pieces of unidentifiable things.

Cloud's glowing eyes scanned the room, and the foul mingling scents caused him to pant hard. He wanted this challenger dead so badly! Taking out First Tsurugi, the blond warrior entered the dark den and approached what could have possibly been a living space. There were piles of discarded clothing and broken furniture with dark stains on the fabric, and filthy, gnawed bones here and there. Behind him were steps leading up, and he gingerly tried a step. It creaked but held the weight of him and his swords somehow.

As he approached the top, a sharp pain went through his left bicep as dry rotted wood splintered from something smashing through it. Cloud tried making it up the last step since the narrow passage hindered his ability to swing his sword, but a large, clawed hand shoved him down the stairwell, and he tumbled downwards while breaking a step here and there with his weight and blades. One of his swords almost clipped his leg as he stumbled into a heap at the bottom. First Tsurugi gracefully caught itself in the wall of the stairwell as he tumbled, then dislodged from the soft wood with a clattering thud by his foot. Cloud let out a groan and slowly dusted off his chest.

 _ **"My territory, pup. Leave."**_

Cloud chuckled darkly as he picked himself up. "No. This is my territory. I'd tell you to leave, but you might be trouble later," The warrior said in a low, growling voice. He approached the steps again after picking up his main sword and tried to not let that heat of his get to him. His face felt warped in some way and Cloud knew he had to make this quick, before he ruined his clothing.

He heard the growl of the other werewolf, and prepared his stance. The steps were partially busted by Cloud's not so graceful fall, but regardless he creeped along the edges near the wall, making his way back up with more room for his right arm to wield his blade. The warrior heard shouts approaching his location; Barret somehow found him, despite trying to lose him. "Let's do this quickly," he said lowly, tensing as he made his approach again.

Cloud jumped to the second floor as a clawed hand bashed through rotted wood, and the warrior noticed the werewolf was only partially transformed in its current state. The face wasn't quite one way or another, and his clothing was clinging to an expanded torso. The claws seemed the only thing fully changed. He scoffed, and went to swing at his opponent; the bestial figure tried dodging but was cut deeply into his chest.

Enraged the werewolf roared, attempting to disarm Cloud with a backhand. The warrior simply picked up another sword from his back as his arm was batted at and sliced into the neck of the partially changed werewolf, cutting off any screams as black blood gurgled and splattered from the injury. As soon as it went to reach for the injury Cloud took First Tsurugi and sliced through the neck and any digits unfortunate enough to be in the way.

Cloud dropped to the floor unceremoniously, taking deep breaths again. Some of the blood had splattered on his face, the hot liquid slowly running down a cheek. There wasn't much, but he wiped it away with a rub of his gloved hand and licked off some of the run off as it neared his mouth. _'Guess I'm off to a good start with this new job.'_

* * *

"Spiky! What the Hell d'you think you're up to, runnin' off like that!" Barret turned on his flashlight, looking this way and that into the dilapidated, stinking shack. He had followed Cloud's heavy footprints in the dirt, caused by the weight of his swords on his feet. The creaking of wood came from above, and Barret readied his gun arm.

Several thuds bounced towards the gunman from the second floor, then a sickening thud and a rolling sound came to his ears. He turned towards the sound cautiously and swung his light towards it. Looking down, a partially transformed head stared back at him, the tongue lolling out as if mocking Barret. "Damn...Guess he did bag one," he mumbled to himself, somewhat impressed. He brought the flashlight upward as he approached the stairs, and noticed Cloud was crouched down, his face tucked into his knees and breathing heavily as his arm and shoulder covered the rest of his face.

"Y-yo! You alright?" Barret called up. The steps were too damaged for the large man to go up and check on his friend.

"...Give me a minute," Cloud mumbled through his legs, his voice hard to hear.

Barret scratched his head, then went to grab the werewolf head with a shrug. "Right. I'll be waitin' outside." He couldn't take much more of the horrible, dry stench in the shack, and wondered how Cloud could handle such a smell. Leaving, he kept the door open and rested his back against the walls of a shack opposite the door as he held the werewolf head. He examined it as he waited. The face was pushed into some sort of half muzzle with pointed teeth, and the ears extended and pointed at the sides and up a little. Not the ugliest thing he'd seen, Barret thought to himself, but still an aberration.

He was beginning to worry and wonder what was taking his friend so long, when he finally made out two glowing blue dots in the darkness of the shack. Cloud's visage appeared soon after from the door; his face was an unreadable, emotionless mask. He motioned towards the path they took, towards Edge, and Barret came to walk beside him. Cloud turned his head away to speak.

"Told you I'd nab one." His voice was low and restrained.

Barret looked over at him with a brow raised, then back at the head. "How'd you find it so fast?"

Cloud said nothing as they continued on the path, his face looking ahead. There was something off about his eyes to the gunman. He looked down, and noticed a scratch healing on the warrior's upper arm, and he grabbed it firmly, stopping them both. Cloud tried to wrench his arm away, but the gunman kept his grip firm.

"...Did you get infected in there, by that flea bitten wolf man?" Barret's voice was worried as he looked it over.

Cloud shook his head. "I fell down the steps...Must've caught on something."

"You're full of shit. That mark is too wide and clean." Barret shook his head sadly. "You should have waited for me, Spiky." His voice was solemn. "And here you were, worried about me..."

The warrior sighed, finally let go from his friend's concerned grasp. "So, what are you gonna do, shoot me?" His voice was noticeably nervous.

Barret paused. He really didn't know what to do, now that it was someone he knew. He promised himself that Marlene's safety came first, but this was hard. "Why couldn't you have just waited, instead of goin' off like some jackass to prove yourself..."

Cloud shook his head, then stared at Barret. "I'm fine, Barret." He continued walking along the trail towards Edge as if nothing happened, until he heard the cocking of his friend's gun-arm. He looked back and froze, and immediately felt he may have misjudged Barret's lament.

"Cloud..." Now it was serious, Barret wasn't using nicknames. The warrior tensed. His face was paler than usual as he looked into the barrel of his friend's gun, aimed at him from several feet away. "You ain't fine. I see you're gonna be some...sick monster soon. Maybe not right now, but...I don't want Tifa and the kids seein' you like that. Now, you're gonna come with me, and-"

Cloud sighed and looked down. "You're dense." He looked back up towards his friend. He already thought he was infected, he may as well come clean. "...How do you think I knew where that thing was?" He pointed a finger at the head Barret held. The gunman nervously shrugged, and Cloud groaned, then held his nose in his fingers. "I sniffed it out, Barret."

"...You sniffed it out?" Barret said with restrained anger in his voice, his fist shaking.

Cloud blinked, his bravado waning. "Y-yeah."

Barret was still pointing the gun-arm at him. "How long?"

"...Since a little after Marlene's birthday." The warrior swallowed hard.

The gunman looked him up and down, boring into his eyes, and something clicked. "You're the werewolf I've been after, then. Spiky blond fur, glowing blue eyes, Merle said..." He thought a moment, then shot next to Cloud, making him jump and yelp. "...You're the one that killed that hunter last Full Moon..."

Cloud was on the edge of panic now. "They didn't give me much of a choice!"

Another shot, to Cloud's other side. Some silver chip hit the swordsman, burning his arm and making him grunt. "I worried it was you. I tried denyin' it 'cause..." Barret bit his lip and huffed through his nose. "Tifa, the kids...Is this some sort of sick pleasure to you now? How long until you get bored and hurt them next!" Barret was aiming at his friend's chest now. "You aren't who you were anymore, man. I'm sorry."

Cloud had had enough of this. Getting the jump on Barret, he used his speed and strength to push him into a shack and knock his friend over through the wall before he could shoot him, then ran off back towards Edge as fast as he could; he took shortcuts through the abandoned shanty town as he heard Barret angrily yell out his name mixed with obscenities and gunshot. The sounds just made him push faster, and he found a side path that he felt would hide him until he made it back to the bar.

Avoiding the main plaza, Cloud went through the alleys behind the major buildings found there, his swords clanging and boots clomping on the hard surface. _'Always making up his mind about how things are, not thinking through everything.'_ He frowned as he charged through the alleyway, closing in on the relative safety of the bar; until Barret arrived, that was. He stopped for a few minutes to think. _'What do I do?'_ Barret still wouldn't shoot in the bar unless he actually had to. Right? There really wasn't anywhere else that would be safer. Or at least he hoped so, but what if he tried shooting regardless? No, with Tifa and the kids there Barret would have to be reasonable. _'Guess the bar'll have to do anyway.'_ Cloud made his way towards home again, but he froze when he heard a familiar clicking noise.

"This ends now, Cloud. I owe you this much." Barret aimed again, holding his gun-arm steady. The distance was further now and he wanted his shot to count. He was breathing heavily after his chase.

Cloud's eyes widened as he slowly turned towards Barret, not expecting the gunman to have gained on him so quickly. "Barret..." He tensed.

"Don't try pretendin' with me. I'll...I'll make sure everyone remembers you for who you were..." The gun was shaking.

The swordsman sighed. "What will the kids say if I come home in a body bag?!" The mention of the children made Barret shoot, and Cloud dodged as it made way for his head. It smashed into his right shoulder instead, causing him to inhumanly growl as he twisted around and charged back towards the plaza and away from his overly protective friend. "Damn!" He held his shoulder, covering the smouldering injury as blood slowly oozed from it.

He heard another shout but ignored it. His adrenaline was pushing him into the busy street where his home and family resided. Cloud pushed by some surprised pedestrians as he hoped to reach some sort of safety before Barret became reckless enough to shoot into a crowd just to kill him. The pain was slicing through his shoulder now, burning like some terrible acid and making him feel almost delirious. _'God I hope it exited, please...'_

He winced as he turned his body towards the door to the business, willing himself through the door as he opened it and running towards the almost empty bar. Tifa's face warped from one of a warm greeting into deep worry as she saw the pain in his face and the blood leaking from his shoulder. As he passed the counter and into the galley, Tifa touched his shoulder, and a sticky fluid coated her fingers. She examined her digits to see brackish red blood, then bent to look at Cloud's face. "Cloud, what happened?"

He took a few shaky breaths. "Barret..." He winced, his eyes were bloodshot.

She gasped. "Do you need help upstairs?"

He shook his head as his hand rested on the stairwell wall.

Hands on her hips, she looked towards the door. "I'll knock some sense into him."

Cloud shakily made his way up the stairs, grabbing a step at one point with his good arm. "Good luck..."

The warrior stumbled through the hallway, unceremoniously unlocking his sword harness and dumping it to the ground as he slowly made his way towards the bathroom. Soon after, he felt a little hand on his gloved hand, and he looked down into the face of a concerned Marlene. "Marlene..." he greeted, pain painted all over his face.

"Cloud, what happened?" She was trying to lead him into the bathroom; she turned on the light as she came through the door.

"Ah...I guess you could say...Your dad had a disagreement with me..." he said reluctantly. He didn't want to hurt Barret and Marlene's relationship.

The little girl gasped as she tried to help Cloud not fall into the tub as he sat on the edge of it. "Papa hurt you?" Her face was sad.

Cloud bit his lower lip. He felt bad. "He's just being protective, Marlene. He doesn't want any of you hurt..." He looked away.

"By who, you?"

"Yeah."

She frowned. "But you wouldn't do that!" Marlene stood there a moment, listening to the front door open and her father's upset voice. "I'm gonna tell him not to hurt you. You're not mean to us, Cloud." She gave the warrior a tight, reassuring hug, making him grunt as he crouched on the tub's edge. He rubbed her back and gave a small, pained smile to the child before she departed.

A few minutes later, Denzel and Zeph gingerly opened up the bathroom door as Cloud tried to clean the weeping wound by the sink, his chest bare of clothing save his necklaced ring and his side sash off and to the side. He looked back at them pathetically, then went back to the sink in an attempt at rinsing the wound out. He hissed from the contact with water.

Denzel spoke up. "Do you need some help? It's hard with only one hand." He came forward.

Cloud paused and looked at the no longer smoking injury while rubbing the side of his face. "Please." He sat in the middle of the bathroom, tipping his head to the side slightly. "How does the other side look?"

Denzel whispered something to Zeph, and the blond haired boy disappeared. Denzel approached behind Cloud, examining the slowly flowing wound on the back of his shoulder. It looked raw and blistering in some parts. "Looks kinda ugly." He pat Cloud's back on the side without injury. "Don't worry, Zeph is getting some potions and bandages for you."

Cloud gave a soft grunt in thanks, then heard yelling beneath them. "Might not be worth it if Barret decides to barge in here and finish me." Denzel frowned at the comment, looking towards the door warily. He didn't want anymore people in his life to die.

* * *

The bar had been emptied of the two patrons Tifa had fed and she locked the door, listening as Barret tapped his foot furiously on the floor. He hadn't barged upstairs and killed the monster his friend had become because of Tifa's deadly threat to him minutes ago. "It's just a matter of time 'til he lets up his little act and eats you all, or changes you..."

Tifa's brow lowered as she scowled at him. "No, he will not."

"You haven't seen the things they do! I get to see it all the time in Junon these days..."

Tifa sighed. "I was there when Cloud assaulted Valdt's place. I'm well aware of what they're capable of..." She shuddered, remembering the sewer. "Don't put Cloud in the same pile as them."

"Papa!" A stern little voice cried out from behind the bar. Stomping over to meet him was Marlene, fists on her hips. "Why'd you hurt Cloud? He wouldn't hurt you, would he?"

"It's not Cloud anymore, he's a monster now!" Barret shouted. Marlene winced and hid behind Tifa. The big man frowned, regretting his tone of voice. "Sorry, baby girl. But Papa wants to keep you safe."

"Barret!" Tifa was clenching her teeth, and her fists were squeezed hard at her sides. "I know Cloud...And maybe his body isn't...normal anymore, but...It's still him."

"Cloud saved us last night from the other werewolf!" Marlene insisted.

Barret shook his head. "Yeah, he could still just be savin' you for later..." Still, he was hoping for something concrete from the two, anything that would stop him from slaying an old friend. He didn't want this at all.

Tifa looked down and rubbed her ring. "We aren't afraid of him...He's never done anything to any of us, and he's had chances to do that. A lot of chances."

Barret shook his head. "I can't trust him with the kids..."

"Uncle Nanaki trusts Cloud," Marlene said defiantly.

The large man stomped a foot. "I bet he don't know what Cloud's capable of!" His face was a mess of anger and worry.

Tifa sighed, and an idea came to mind. "Cloud said he was going to hunt werewolves in the city, right?" she asked, looking up at him.

Barret nodded. He told Tifa what happened that afternoon and what lead to the confrontation in the first place. Tifa nodded slowly as he finished.

"None of us saw you, you know. We didn't know you were here until Cloud came in with a bullet wound through his shoulder," Tifa said sternly. "If he really was as ruthless a monster as you want us to think, he could have just killed you out there...and no one would have known it was him who did it."

Barret thought about her argument for a few moments. The slums they had gone through were virtually uninhabited, except for some of the shanties closest to Edge. He sighed. "I just don't want..."

"Papa, he's not gonna hurt us. He's been keeping us safe!" Marlene said, a sad look to her face. "That's what you wanted him to do, right?"

"Fine! I ain't gonna kill him, not yet, anyway. I'm stayin' for a bit, and if he sets one foot out of line, I'm baggin' his spiky ass!" Barret stomped past the two, and made his way upstairs. As he made it to the top he noticed the bathroom door was open and filled with light, and Cloud's swords were dumped on the ground. He walked through the hall, towards the lit room where he heard the sound of familiar voices.

He poked his head through, and the three occupants looked up at him; Denzel and Zeph were almost finished with their work on Cloud's shoulder injury, wrapping it up with bandages soaked in the ochre fluid of a hi-potion. Cloud was looking up at him, a defeated look on his face.

"...Here to finish the job?" he asked dryly, his face wincing from the burn of the potion on his raw flesh.

Barret stared at him for a few moments with a deep frown on his face. "I'm watchin' you, Spiky. If I see one thing outta place on the kids or Tifa, I'm huntin' you down."

"If I do anything to them, I'll search for you myself," Cloud responded, slowly getting up from the white tile floor. He looked down at the children before rubbing his nose in an attempt to clear the organ of the smell of fear that seemed to be coming from just about everywhere.

As Barret went back down the stairs, Cloud let out a heavy sigh. "Thanks, guys. My injury feels a lot better." He ran his hand through his spiky bangs and closing his eyes.

Denzel rubbed the back of his head, a cheesy smile on his face. "Marlene taught me some from the last time you needed help!"

Zeph simply nodded back at the thanks, observing Cloud.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon wasn't nearly as dramatic, but almost as tense. Barret wouldn't let the children out of his sight after they returned to their rooms, and Cloud took a nap as his wound attempted to heal. He promised Zeph that he would spar with him as soon as he healed. Tifa continued as usual in the bar, though the afternoon was a little slow.

During a lull in business, she decided to close early. The argument had drained her desire to bartend for the evening. She looked through the fridge in the galley, wondering if she had enough food now that there was an extra person to feed. Sighing, Tifa moved towards the freezer and remembered that there was a larger casserole awaiting consumption. She took it out and preheated the oven, then went back to the fridge for the leftover soup she had made the day before.

As she heated it up in the microwave, Tifa listened upstairs to the sound of Barret and the children speaking here and there. A beep sounded and she checked the soup. She swirled a spoon in it and felt the heat travel into the handle. Before taking the bowl out of the microwave she placed the casserole in the oven, then scooped up the soup and went upstairs.

The hallway was dim, and the bedroom in front of her was dimmer from the blinds and curtains covering the windows though some light from a setting sun making it through. Cloud laid upon the bed bare chested, his blue eyes peeking open at the sound of Tifa's footfalls. She gave him a smile as she entered the dark room to sit by his side after she moved the chair in the corner towards the bed. She looked at the gauze covered injury, then back into Cloud's eyes.

"Looks like the boys did a really good job fixing you up." She stirred the bowls contents.

Cloud nodded. His face expressed his pain and anxiety in the dim light. Tifa shifted the bowl to her other hand, and ran her fingers through his hair to calm him. He closed his eyes, giving out a little hum as she began rubbing, soothing his mind.

"Did you want to skip dinner?" she asked him.

"I...Maybe. I kinda just want to rest." He frowned despite the bliss of Tifa's fingers running along his scalp.

Tifa nodded. "Still, you should eat something...Here, it's some leftover soup."

Cloud sat up on the bed with a grunt. He took the bowl from Tifa and looked over the contents. It was a test soup from a couple of days ago; Tifa had wanted to see what flavors he would enjoy now. This one was made with bone marrow and herbs with meat, and it had been growing on him as he sampled it. "Thanks, Teef."

She sat next to him as he ate, discussing Zeph's readiness for school next month and purchasing new fall clothing later in the month. Cloud listened here and there, appreciating Tifa's attempt to take his mind off his afternoon mishap. Finally finished with the soup, he gave back the bowl slowly with a sigh.

"D'you think Barret's gonna shoot me in my sleep?"

Tifa couldn't tell if he was joking or not, and she looked down at the bowl. "...I don't think so."

"He keeps looking at me like he will."

Tifa looked up at Cloud, then looked in the direction he was lazily staring. Barret was looking from the door to the children's room, directly at Cloud. The warrior sighed before plopping back down onto his pillow, grunting as his wound hit the mattress.


	28. Bonding

The evening meal had been uncomfortable for the five at the table. Tifa served everyone their food before sitting down in her seat, her shoulders stiff as she leaned in to take a bite of her food. The children were quiet and Barret was stabbing at a large flat noodle on his plate.

"Puttin' the kids in danger like this..." he grumbled under his breath.

"Barret," Tifa warned in a clipped voice. She glanced at Cloud's empty seat.

"You could've killed Cloud," Denzel reprimanded harshly. He had mostly kept quiet after patching up Cloud, darting into the bedroom once to ask how he was doing before Barret stomped up the stairs. Cloud reassured him that he would be alright, and told him his patch up job on the bullet wound made him feel a lot better. Denzel wasn't sure if that was true or not, but he didn't have time to contest it after Cloud told him he was going to nap. He had stewed a bit in his room as Marlene argued with Barret before dinner.

Barret's dark eyes moved to meet Denzel. "He could kill you all."

"But...he hasn't," Zeph countered quietly.

Tifa huffed noisily and glared at Barret. "Let's eat and not talk about this right now." She was pleasantly surprised Zeph defended Cloud, that was a good sign. But right now, Tifa wanted Barret to calm down further before the situation possibly escalated. Marlene had already told her how he was close to just spiriting her away to Junon, and how she had also retorted that she would just take a ferry back to Edge by herself if he took her away from everyone.

Marlene loved her father, but he made this her home years ago.

A low rumble came from somewhere faraway, and Denzel stiffened as he slurped up some noodles. Zeph noticed and furrowed his brow. Denzel eyed him, then his plate. He was hoping the weatherman on the radio was wrong, that the storm would just glance the city. A gust of wind rattling the door and windows squashed that hope.

They finished their meal quietly, the summer heat barely banished by the ceiling fans. The sound of thunder grew louder with every clap, and Denzel shuddered. He hated storms. When he was in Triple S he had watched several members dying of Geostigma during a particularly fierce late spring storm, the thunderclaps and bursts of light adding to the trauma of watching a young friend gurgling on their own black pus as convulsions that took place before death jerked them about in the filthy mud. Storms reminded him of those dark days, and how close he himself came to the same fate.

Cloud and Tifa had been slowly helping him ease out of that association. As he went up the stairs his eyes searched the bedroom at the end of the hall, looking for a glimmer of blue. He looked pleadingly into Tifa's eyes; he wanted to sleep next to them during the storm. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Please, Tifa?"

She looked at Barret, then Denzel. "If you need to sleep next to us, that's fine."

"No, they're sleepin' away from him!" Barret protested. His arms were crossed and he was giving Tifa a firm glare.

Thunder sounded again, and the wind was whistling through the street. Then all of a sudden the rain began, as if a sheet of water was dropped on Seventh Heaven. Tifa narrowed her eyes. "Denzel has problems dealing with storms, Barret. _We_ will keep him safe." She gave Denzel a gentle push towards the end of the hall. "You still have to brush your teeth, sweetie."

Barret pointed a finger at his friend. "You gonna risk your boy's life—"

Denzel stomped over to him. "Stop being mean to Cloud! If everyone else is alright with it, maybe you should be, too!" He turned about, then disappeared into the bathroom.

"Papa, you need to be nicer. I told you we're all okay!" Marlene said with a roll of her eyes.

Tifa sighed, and Barret shook his head. "These two are stayin' with me tonight."

"You're overreacting, Barret," she said. Her voice was raised, the sound of heavy rain on the roof was making it difficult to speak normally.

Barret snorted. "One of these days you're gonna end up with a bite mark on you, if he doesn't decide to snack on you instead," he said as he ushered Marlene into the bedroom.

"...I can hear you, Barret," Cloud called out in an annoyed voice from the bedroom he rested in. The big man shrugged, then motioned to Zeph to enter the bedroom. He reluctantly did so, giving Tifa an apologetic look before entering. The door closed and locked, and that was that.

Tifa went to her bedroom and laid on her side. She held onto Cloud's arm, a grumpy look on her face as he turned his head to look at her. "Maybe he won't shoot me tonight after all," he said softly, his voice barely heard over the din of thunder.

Tifa didn't say anything, but held onto Cloud's arm tighter and pressed her forehead to his bicep. He reached with his right hand to brush away a few stray hairs that fell across her eye, then rubbed her cheek with his thumb. Tifa sighed and closed her eyes. "He better not."

"He had to come at the worse possible time...Zeph finds out about me, then a thunderstorm." Almost as if in response, a wind gust slammed into the domicile, rattling the windows. He frowned.

"I'm hoping he doesn't poison the well with Zeph, he's still just trying to process everything that happened yesterday," Tifa said, exasperated.

Cloud let out a sigh. "Right." He shifted his back a little, then closed his eyes. A few moments later he felt someone crawling onto the bed. He peeked his eyes open and moved his head to see Tifa moving away from him and Denzel laying down between them. He faced Cloud. "Hey, buddy. How're you feeling?"

Denzel shrugged his shoulder and looked down. He smelled anxious. "I'm okay."

Cloud moved his right arm again despite the ache in his shoulder, and pat Denzel on his exposed arm. "It'll die down eventually." He was sure that wasn't the only reason Denzel was anxious tonight. Usually he calmed down when he was with them.

"It's going to be a long day tomorrow, Denzel. Try and get some rest," Tifa said in a soothing voice.

The boy nodded before getting comfortable between his guardians. Cloud sighed through his nose; the day and the wound had taken their toll on him, and now he just wanted to sleep. The rain helped lull him into more pleasant realities than his own.

* * *

"...Are you alright, Denzel?" Cloud was slowly sipping his coffee while ignoring Barret's eyes burning into his forehead diagonally from across the table. He scratched his head near a stray spike. His bed head was particularly bad that morning, despite barely moving in his sleep. He woke up to the smell of Tifa's cooking and an awake Denzel rubbing his face anxiously. He looked like he had barely slept during the night.

Denzel shrugged while wearing a depressed, tired look on his face. "The, uh, storm kept me up." And Barret, with his threats of tearing Marlene from the house. That wouldn't stop going through his head. She was as good as his sister now, and he didn't like the thought of the family being picked apart over nothing.

Cloud grunted. He sported a sympathetic look on his face. "If you need to nap after breakfast, go ahead. I'll be training you two and Vits this afternoon." Denzel's eyes lit up, as did Zeph's when he heard the news. Barret made a disapproving noise, and Cloud ignored him yet again.

"But, what about your shoulder?" Zeph asked.

Cloud shrugged. "I can handle it. You guys still gotta work on your defense." He glanced at Barret, then went back to his coffee. He felt like a prisoner in his own house, and that he was being judged worthy or not of existence by his own friend. One move Barret really didn't like, and he gets shot. The whole thing was rather irksome to Cloud, not to mention a bit heart-wrenching; he and Barret were close enough that he would entrust him to help raise Marlene. He wondered how much that counted for now.

Tifa came to the table while holding several platters of food, placing them down in front of the children first. Then she returned to the galley for a moment and came back with food for the adults. Cloud began to dig in after a "Thank you", ravenous after only soup the night before. Barret ate his pancakes quietly but watched Cloud, the blond haired man scarfing down the omelette on his dish with gusto.

After breakfast the children helped with the dishes, and Cloud took a shower with the hopes of taming his splayed spikes. It felt like a normal morning, except he had someone in the house ready to kill him; he tried to scrub away the irritation with soap and hot water. He grimaced as the hot water soaked his bandages and stung the raw flesh underneath. After nearly scrubbing himself raw and leaving the shower with a heavy sigh, he tried to fix his spikes with the hair dryer with some success. Yesterday's stress still showed in his eyes and stubborn any locks that refused to stay in place.

He peeled away the wet bandages that clung loosely to his shoulder to dump them in the trash, then pinched off a piece of blackened skin that tore off with a small tug. He examined it before depositing the dark flake into the trash bin with the bandages. More had been peeled off yesterday before the potions were rubbed into the pink flesh underneath, and it had stung like a thousand marsh gnats as his potion-slicked fingers smeared the wound. Denzel had been gentle but firm with the bandages afterwards. Denzel was always trying to help, Cloud mused in his head as he shuffled into his boxers and then his pants.

As he left the bathroom bare chested and his hair still moist, Tifa came up the stairs while holding bandages and potions in her arms. He turned around to look at her, and he raised his brows as he glanced at the pile of supplies she carried. Of course, he needed new bandages still. He nodded as she came close, then followed behind her through the hallway. They went to their bedroom and closed the door behind them.

Cloud sat at the edge of the bed, glancing at his exposed shoulder in the mirror on the door as Tifa unwrapped the gauze; it looked better than yesterday, he thought to himself. There was still a little blood rimming the pink hole, which was circled by that familiar crusty, flaking black skin. Tifa pat the area dry of any left over water, the towel dry and making the wound ache. He winced as she rubbed the injury with a hi-potion, though the burn and tingle from it indicated that it was indeed working. She soaked some folded gauze, then placed it over the front hole.

"Hold this, please," Tifa asked. He did as she wanted. She made Cloud bend over a little so she could pour some of the potion into the wound and then covered that side, too, with soaked gauze. She then firmly wrapped the wound in fresh bandages, making sure they'd stay put. Done, Tifa put her hands on his shoulders, looking at him in the mirror. "All done, Cloud." She gave him a small smile.

Cloud moved his shoulder a little, feeling the healing ache as the potion went to work. "Thanks, Teef." He turned to kiss her cheek as Tifa rubbed the back of his head. He sighed. "I'm gonna give Fenrir a test drive, I haven't driven him in a while." He picked up his shirt and necklace, putting them on, then reached for his trusty boots and zipped them up.

Tifa gave a nod. "I still have some things to clean up before I open up the bar. I'll see you around lunch, okay?" She slid off the bed and brushed her hand over his good shoulder before giving it a squeeze. Collecting the pile of gauze and potions, Tifa left the room. Cloud rose up after her, his footfalls echoing in the hallway. He paused at the door to Denzel and Marlene's room, and decided to check on Denzel; he opened the door as quietly as he could. He noticed as his eyes glanced downward that there was a nest of blankets and pillows near the door, where Barret had presumably slept. Looking up again, he saw Denzel laying on his bed, his back to the warrior and his breaths even. Cloud was unsure if he was asleep just yet.

After a few moments of observation Cloud softly closed the door and was about to head downstairs when he almost walked into large, muscly friend had obviously been watching him observing the boy as he slept. His arms were crossed over his large chest, and his eyes were staring accusingly into Cloud's with a hawkish gaze. "Plannin' somethin'?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "I'm checkin' on Denzel," he said quietly, trying not to wake the boy.

Barret shook his head. "You don't need to be snoopin' on the kids like some kinda—"

The warrior tensed his jaw as Barret spoke, then suddenly interrupted him. "Look Barret, this is _my_ home, and Denzel is _my_ son—" He shook his head and his eyes widened. "I-I mean kid..." He swallowed hard and looked down, surprised at what he had just said. Before Barret could speak again he bolted towards the stairs, his ears ringing. _'Why did I say that...I'm not Denzel's father. I'm just his guardian.'_ He rambled and rationalized in his mind as he descended the steps and went through the door to the garage.

He made his way towards Fenrir, sliding his gloved fingers over the surface and checking the gauges to make sure everything was alright. It helped clear his fluttering mind. As he put his leg over the bike the garage light switched on and he squeezed his eyes shut while letting out a low little groan.

"S-sorry, Cloud." It was Zeph.

"Hey, Zeph. Everything alright?" Cloud's eyes adjusted to the light. He observed Zeph's slightly fearful face, as if he had done something wrong. The warrior frowned at the boy.

"I just came in to practice a little..."

Cloud raised his brow. "Practice before practice?" He didn't believe him.

Zeph came forward with a sigh on his lips. "Barret's being..."

"Suffocating?" Cloud offered, and Zeph nodded enthusiastically. He looked down at his bike, and a smile formed on his face; he looked back at his ward. Zeph was unsure about the expression on his guardian's face. "I've felt the same way. Wanna ride?"

Zeph blinked. Cloud hadn't offered to have him ride on Fenrir yet. "Really?" His wide green eyes almost sparkled. Then he remembered Barret's angry words last night during the storm, which reminded him that despite the friendly exterior, Cloud was still a werewolf. He looked away, his expression dropping as the thought put a damper to his enthusiasm. "Maybe I shouldn't..."

Cloud cocked his head, a quizzical look forming on his face, and then it hit him: Zeph was still trying to cope. "Oh, right," he said uncomfortably. "Sorry...I forgot about all that." He looked down and mentally kicked himself for offering the skittish boy a ride.

Zeph looked back up at Cloud while readjusting the band on his forehead. "You forgot already?"

"Yesterday was kind of exciting..." Cloud said as he reached for his goggles.

 _'That's right,'_ Zeph thought. _'Barret shot him, and he killed another werewolf, too.'_ He fidgeted, torn between staying definitely safe and totally bored in the bar and being absolutely thrilled on a motorcycle ride with a werewolf. But, he did know this werewolf. Would it be so bad? "Where will you go?"

Goggles covered Cloud's blue eyes, and the garage door began to open. "Outside the Midgar Wastes. I'd like to see grass again for a bit."

There were patches of grass in some of the parks in the city, but he'd never seen what was outside the dead wastes of Midgar. The thought of seeing it tempted him terribly. Zeph's heart raced with indecision; If he hadn't known about Cloud's secret, would he have gone? He knew he would have, and he knew he would have came home safe, right? This was Cloud, not Valdt. This werewolf slayed Valdt and a couple of other werewolves. Seeing him the other night still haunted him, however. Maybe he could compromise between his desire for adventure and his fear, instead. "Can I bring my sword with me?" It wouldn't do much against the man training him how to use it, but he'd feel safer with some silver near him.

Cloud snorted. He lowered his head and held his hand to his face. "Yeah."

Zeph ran towards his sword, then tied it to his belt and before making his way towards Cloud and the bike. The spiky haired warrior pat the area behind him, and Zeph accepted the offer, using Cloud's good arm as leverage to get behind him. "Hang on to me." Zeph did as he was told, wrapping his arms snugly around Cloud, wary but excited. He was holding onto a werewolf on a motorcycle; the thought was more surreal than the actual scene. Cloud turned on Fenrir and backed it out of the garage as the door slid completely open, and soon they were zooming on the meandering streets of Edge.

At first Cloud went slowly through the city, going this way and that way while avoiding pedestrians as Zeph looked about the bustling city he was familiar with. Then, he began to speed up as they reached the outskirts of Edge, traveling towards Kalm. Zeph tightened his hold, making sure he was firmly connected to the driver. He looked to the side, noticing how dead the wastes looked even in the morning sun, patches of standing water here and there from the recent storm. It was the hues of brown he was used to staring at, with a patch of green and yellow here and there.

After a while, a change took hold of the environment, and the boy gasped; the wastes opened up into endless fields of lush green grass and wildflowers, contrasting a blue sky speckled with puffy white clouds. Soon after they left the Midgar Wastes Cloud parked his bike off of the side of the road, near a green hill. He hopped off his bike, then helped the child off. He grinned at Zeph's reaction to nature untouched by mako energy sucking away its life like a vampire.

Cloud took off his goggles. "Nice, huh?"

Zeph nodded, still looking around with a gaping mouth. Cloud went up to the hill and climbed to its top with Zeph following close behind in a bid to see more. They reached the top quickly. A breeze puffed by, bringing new scents to Zeph; it was filled with the scent of grasses and flowers, running water and fertile dirt. The view from the top of the relatively small hill took his breath away, with endless plains and hills of rippling green under a blue sky. "...This is what's outside the city?" He eyed a lone tree in the distance, with birds coming to rest or depart on its branches.

"Yeah." Cloud sat down cross legged on the grass and enjoyed the view. A memory came to him as he looked over at Zeph, of another person just as dumbfounded...

Zeph sat there, still wide eyed from all the new things he could see. After a few minutes he looked towards Cloud, who sat only a foot away. He was silently observing the area in front of him, his nose flaring subtly as another gentle wind passed them by. Cloud seemed to take notice that the boy was looking at him and turned to meet his gaze with a raised brow. Zeph opened his mouth to say something, but instead couldn't find his voice, unsure how to start a conversation with the warrior.

"What's wrong?" Cloud frowned.

"N-Nothing..." Zeph shifted on the ground uncomfortably.

Cloud sighed. "Are you really so afraid of me? You came out here to the middle of nowhere with me, right?" His voice hinted at how tired he was of being feared.

Zeph finally realized that his excitement at such an offer to finally see the lands beyond the Wastes had overridden his good sense, and now he was far away from home with Cloud, a werewolf, sitting right next to him, in the wilderness. "...Barret said you were just acting nice, and you were gonna eat us someday." He kept his hand to his sword, just in case.

Cloud's eyes narrowed, sending shivers down the boy's spine. "Then why'd you come, if you think I'm just acting..." He looked away, agitated that his overprotective friend really did poison the well last night.

"I-I don't think that. It's just hard to get it out of my head. Marlene and Denzel said you can't act, anyway." His face was red.

Cloud snorted at the remark as his face softened, the child jumping from the noise. "I'm good at fightin' stuff, not acting." He scratched the back of his head. "A good actor wouldn't have their family know their stupid secret," Cloud grumbled.

Zeph let himself smile a little. "That's what Denzel said about you before dinner." He breathed in some of the clean, grassy air he couldn't get enough of, relaxing his hand off the hilt of his sword. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to come.

Cloud smiled lightly at the remark Denzel made about him. He wanted to change the subject, and looked back at Zeph. "Do you still feel guilty about living with us?"

"Um, not as much." Zeph shook his head.

Cloud nodded. "Good. Don't let it eat at you..." he said heavily. _'Like it did to me.'_

Zeph nodded back, then looked towards the distant horizon. "Marlene said I'm too much like you sometimes."

"...Maybe." He looked away again, deciding not to elaborate.

Zeph stared out at the sea of green and blue in front of him, the two silent as they enjoyed the sun's warmth over their skin and the light breeze that blew away some of the humidity that came from their proximity to a creek. He scratched his arm as a million different questions formed in his head that he wished to ask Cloud, now that they were alone and he wasn't completely filled with dread. Finally, he awkwardly blurted out, "Do you like being a werewolf?" and just as quickly covered his mouth with both hands, his face paling.

Cloud looked at Zeph, his cheeks turning red and an uncomfortable look growing on his face. "...I really don't know. I guess it's not the worst thing in the world to be..." He seemed to be deep in thought to the boy, his eyes downward and brow furrowed. "...Maybe it was for the best." He nodded at his conclusion, raising his eyes back up to his ward.

Zeph gave a frown. "For the best? How?"

Cloud hummed and faced his body towards the child while resting back on his good arm and a leg splayed out in front of him, blinking a few times to collect his thoughts. "You know how you were rescued, right?"

Zeph nodded. "You and Tifa and your friends came to kill Valdt." He had kept his head down most of the fight, but remembered the yelling and the sounds of weapons and guns.

"Right. You know we were there because we caught Valdt's trail from Evan's house, when he kidnapped Vits. Well, before that, he tried to have his henchmen kidnap my friend Yuffie...And I didn't like that too much."

"I heard about that." Denzel and Marlene had told him that Cloud had 'beaten up the bad guys that attacked Aunt Yuffie' a while ago, but said he was just lucky he came across the fight.

Cloud nodded. "Tifa and I had been waiting for Yuffie to come back from her shopping spree, but I picked up the sounds of a fight..." He gently rubbed his ear. "Then I caught her scent..." He poked the tip of his nose.

Zeph's eyes widened. "So you found her, and then what? Did you beat up the bad guys?"

Cloud turned his head. "Well, I...killed them." He looked back, the boy fearful again, and he frowned. "You'd do it too, if you heard the things they said they'd do to your friend. Anyway, if I hadn't found Yuffie, they would've kidnapped her. We wouldn't have found Valdt, either."

"What about Nanaki? He could have caught him."

Cloud shook his head. "Valdt wasn't there and Nanaki came to visit some time later. Maybe catch his underlings and then him, but it would have taken longer if we had caught him at all." He looked down, thinking. "Actually, he caught my scent at one of his offices, and thought it was Evan's..." The warrior still wasn't sure why Valdt's scent wasn't at the office that night, unless he hadn't been there for an extended period of time. "It's why he went after Vits."

Zeph looked puzzled. "Why'd he think your scent was Evan's?"

Cloud looked up at Zeph again. "I...stalked him as he snooped around." The boy knotted his brows together, and Cloud added more. "Evan can't fight," he said with a shy grin.

Zeph looked down at his lap, processing everything he had heard. He looked back up, Cloud was patiently regarding him. If Cloud hadn't been a werewolf, he figured he would have died in a fashion similar to his sister. His mind went back to the night he woke up in a warm bed, and he met the warrior for the first time; he had stayed next to him, introducing himself patiently to the confused boy.

 _'We can't make you stay, but you're welcome to stay with us if you want.'_

Another thought, to the day he agreed to teach him how to fight, even though it was silver weapons; Zeph now knew how dangerous the lessons had been to Cloud.

 _'I think you guys are too young for this...But...If it keeps you safe.'_

Then back to all the times he or Tifa would sit by his bed when he had a nightmare, helping him process his thoughts.

 _'Just keep it in mind. And if you need us because it still hurts, just ask us to listen.'_

Looking to his side he squinted his eyes, remembering it all, from the support and meals to dramatic rescues in the night time slums. "Why did you go out of your way for me..." Zeph whispered.

Cloud sighed. "Because you're part of our family now." He looked away, moving his body to again sit facing the scenery. "...Even if you're scared of me, that didn't change."

He felt Zeph scoot closer as he let out a sniffle. "Thank you, Cloud." His voice was wavering and sincere.

He looked down at Zeph as blush creeped onto his cheeks. "A-anyway, enough of this...It's your first time out here. You should enjoy it, don't you think?" Zeph nodded, wiping at his nose and smiling. "Yeah." He picked himself up before charging down the hill. Cloud smiled as the boy enjoyed this new and green place that was full of life.

Zeph took his time exploring as Cloud watched him from his perch on the hill. Sometimes Zeph would look up towards his guardian, and the last time he looked Cloud had a stern expression marring his face as he tapped on his phone; he assumed it was either Barret or Tifa calling him. Zeph made his way towards a nearby creek and gawked as he eyed some fat, lazy frogs glistening in the clear, sparkling waters. It was the first time he had ever seen them outside of a book, and he was totally going to catch one.

* * *

Cloud sighed heavily, eyeing Zeph as he explored and clicking the accept button on his phone before bringing it too his ear. "Hey, Barret—"

"Where the hell is Zeph?" Barret shouted into the phone, and Cloud yanked it away from his ear with a grimace.

Cloud brought the phone back to his ear after a second, then snorted into the receiver. "He's with me."

"What'd you do with him?" The accusation in Barret's voice made Cloud's blood boil, and he sucked in a breath.

"I took him for a ride outside of the Midgar Wastes. He's fine." He eyed the child. Zeph was attempting to catch a frog as mud coated his sandals. _'Guess he'll need to shower before practice,'_ Cloud thought to himself.

"Why'd you take him out there like that!? Cloud, if one thing is outta place on that boy..."

"Will you stop treating me like a damned monster? I'm tryin' to bond with Zeph, not eat him," Cloud snapped back as he watched his ward. Zeph had finally captured a frog, and turned his head to give a big grin to the fuming warrior. Cloud quickly smiled back, Zeph's triumph momentarily lifting his mood.

"You best get back, and soon!" Barret sounded upset and nervous.

"We'll get back when we're done," Cloud said flatly. "Bye." He heard Barret yelling again as he ended the call, and he sighed through his nose. Zeph was coming up the hill with his chubby prize in hand, and Cloud grinned at the sight. The frog protested against its captor, giving a low croak and sluggishly struggling in Zeph's hands. "You caught a big one!"

The blond boy smiled wildly, a look the warrior hadn't seen on him ever. It was like he was just a kid again, with no pessimistic backstory, no werewolves. Cloud brought his phone up, snapping a picture of the carefree scene and sending it to Tifa. Zeph raised the frog towards him, a hopeful glimmer in his jade eyes. "Can I keep it?"

Cloud let out a laugh and shook his head. "Sorry, Zeph. There's no way we could take care of it, and Tifa'd kill me if I brought it in the house." Zeph looked a little down, and Cloud shook his head again before rising up from where he sat. He put his phone in his back pocket, then pat Zeph's shoulder. "Let's take him back to his family. Okay?"

Zeph nodded. "Okay." They made their way back towards the creek, the grass tickling the young boy's heels as he struggled to keep the bloated green frog in his hands. As they approached the creek he slipped upon a patch of slick wet grass, releasing the bloated amphibian into the air as Cloud went catch him. He grunted as he strained on his right arm to lift the boy.

"I guess that's one way to bring him back to his home," Cloud said, wincing a bit from the still healing wound in his shoulder as a splash came from the creek. He helped Zeph regain his footing with a small smile. Zeph looked up at him apologetically, looking at Cloud's wrapped shoulder and then into his face.

"Sorry..."

"For what? You didn't do anything wrong."

Before Zeph could reply, a strange noise garbled into their ears; Cloud immediately turned around with the boy behind him, looking about. He sniffed silently, pinpointing the source of the sound almost immediately: It was a group of Mandragoras. The warrior relaxed, and weakly chuckled. "It's okay, it's just Mandragoras. They don't attack unless you hurt them first."

Zeph peeked out from behind Cloud. "Mandragoras?" They looked like tall clusters of grass with little yellow eyes staring back from their bulbous bottoms. Occasionally they'd make a strange sound as they communicated with each other. "Neat."

Cloud reached for Zeph's hand and took it in his own. "Maybe we should go back now, before anything else shows up." Zeph nodded after a few moments, and they took off for the hill, leaving the creek behind. They began to converse again, and Cloud was happy Zeph was opening up to him again.

* * *

Tifa quickly set up a small lunch of sandwiches and fruit for the family. Cloud had explained to Tifa before that he was alright with scarfing down sandwiches and the like if it put less trouble on her shoulders, though she could see the discomfort on his face if he had to eat too many starchy or carby foods. She usually would try to make it up to him later with a dish he would really like, and sometimes he would bring back meat from a place he had delivered to. Tifa supposed that wouldn't happen as often now, but Edge now imported a variety of foodstuffs from other parts of the world. Cloud would be perfectly fine, she reasoned.

She looked at the clock; it was almost eleven thirty, and she yawned as she rubbed an eye. Barret had gone out to take a walk with Marlene after angrily inquiring where Zeph was to Cloud on the phone, and Tifa had to show him the picture she had been sent to calm her agitated friend. Denzel was still sleeping, and Tifa figured she should wake him up before he slept the day away.

She walked up to the bedroom and opened the door quietly. "Denzel?" The boy moved about and stretched before flipping over to meet Tifa's eyes. He blinked as if to ask what she wanted. "Lunch is almost ready."

Denzel yawned, then shuffled out of bed slowly. "Okay."

She left the room and went back downstairs. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she heard the sound of Cloud's bike coming closer, the sound reverberating in the walls as he entered the garage before he shut Fenrir off. Right after Tifa entered the galley Barret and Marlene appeared through the front door, and the on edge man marched towards the garage with Tifa right behind him as Marlene stood uncomfortably in the middle of the bar, holding a cat-like doll. She looked down at it, and it looked up at her.

"I think Papa and Cloud are gonna get into a fight again," she said.

Cait Sith shook his head disapprovingly. "Thae need tae stoop an' have a heart tae heart, like aye saed!"

The little girl nodded, then ran towards the garage to watch the adults.

"Barret...Will you just stop already?" Tifa's exasperated voice sighed out as Marlene came to the door. She peeked in to see Tifa facing her father, her hands on her hips. Barret was shaking his fist towards Cloud, who to her surprise had Zeph willingly clinging to his hand.

Barret pointed a finger at the werewolf. "We're havin' a talk later, so don't try goin' nowhere!"

Cloud sighed. "Fine. Just leave me the hell alone for the rest of the day." He walked towards the door to the bar with Zeph following behind him. Tifa looked down at his feet and remembered the picture Cloud had sent. She gasped and her eyes widened.

"Zeph! Get back here! Your feet are filthy..." The boy did as she asked, her hand taking his. She brought him to the floor basin to wash his feet of caked on mud.

"What— Oh. Hey, Marlene." Cloud greeted her, his eyes softening. He hadn't noticed her presence near the door.

"You best not be botherin' my baby girl!" Barret shouted. Cloud noisily sighed, and gave Marlene a tired look. She took his hand and led him towards the bar.

"Sorry, Cloud. Papa's still upset." She looked at him sadly.

"Ye both should git taegether an' have a few drinks!" Cait Sith chirped from Marlene's arm.

"Long time, no see, Cait," Cloud said to the robotic cat. "Storm slow down your arrival?"

Cait Sith nodded. "It wae bad! But here I am, weatherin' another storm."

Cloud snorted, then looked around and frowned. "Where's Denzel?"

Marlene shrugged. "Still in bed?" She sat at her usual place at the table. Made his way beyond the counter and towards the stairs; he bumped into a fully dressed Denzel as he descended the final step into the galley. Cloud looked at him awkwardly, wondering if he had heard his words earlier.

"Hey, Denzel. Did you sleep well?"

He nodded, his wavy brown hair shaking with the motion. Cloud gave a slight nod of his own, his hand on Denzel's shoulder as they came towards the table and sat while waiting for the others for an awkward lunch before the boys practiced.

* * *

"You could have warned me he was here earlier," Evan quietly hissed towards Cloud as Barret drilled a hole into the detective's hat with his eyes. The adults were supervising the children as they practiced with makeshift targets.

"Been preoccupied," he replied in a dry voice. Cloud calmly watched the boys, then furrowed his brow as he watched Vits awkwardly chop with his sword. He pointed at him. "He hasn't gotten much practice in, has he?"

Evan shook his head. "I'm no fighter. I can barely aim a gun properly."

Cloud turned to look at him with a smirk. "Could always ask Barret. He's a pretty good shot." He pointed towards his bandaged shoulder, and Evan knocked his hat back a little.

"...I guess he really didn't like your secret."

Cloud shook his head. He went back to observing at Vits before finally coming over to the boy and correcting his stance. "Like this..." Vits shifted his feet, and the warrior corrected his elbows. "There."

Barret's eyes were trained on the interaction. Cloud ignored it as he corrected Vits. He looked up at Barret and took a few steps towards him, then pointed a thumb towards Evan. "Maybe you can help him with his aim." The large, dark-skinned man narrowed his eyes, and Cloud raised a brow, challenging him to say or do something. After a tense moment, Cloud went back to assisting the children, correcting them here and there.

After several minutes he stood next to Evan again, watching the children practice. "I might need to teach him with the practice swords. If he doesn't have any real combat skill, he won't be able to defend himself." He quietly spoke about Zeph defending Marlene with his blade in the slums, and the detective gave a worried frown.

"There's more werewolves in the slums?"

"Yeah. Killed two this week so far." He looked back, took notice of Denzel, and told him to shift his left foot a little more to the front.

"Where the hell are they coming from?" Evan wondered.

"Beats me. I'm going to kill them, regardless," Cloud said flatly.

Evan chuckled. "Only room for one, huh..."

Cloud grinned. "Yep." He watched Vits, and he frowned. "I'll be right back. I think I'm going to do a little one-on-one with him." As the warrior opened up the garage door and disappeared, heavy clomping footfalls approached the detective.

* * *

"Cloud said he wants us to go out there before we have to go to school," Zeph said, a small smile on his face as he whacked at his target. "Maybe we can chase Marlene around with some frogs?"

Denzel grinned while batting at the head of his target. "She hates that!" Recovering from his sloppy form and listening to Cloud correct him, he continued. "Sometimes Cloud takes us with him on Fenrir, but he's been...busy lately."

Zeph nodded knowingly. His morning travels had mellowed him to his guardian, and he didn't feel quite as trepidatious as he had yesterday. He wouldn't trust him blindly, but he reasoned if he was on the menu he'd have been dead weeks ago. It was just something he would have to learn to accept, he reasoned.

Vits tried attacking his target, but he stumbled on his feet. He sighed harshly before again getting into the position Cloud had taught him. The children heard the sound of footsteps on the concrete of the garage, and they saw Cloud fiddling with something within. Turning their heads back towards the alley they saw Evan and Barret having a quiet if animated discussion. The detective looked rather nervous while Barret pointed aggressively at the kids, then at the garage. Vits watched in mild curiosity as the other two just shook their heads, tired of the paranoia.

"Lyin' 'bout that—"

"I owed him for—"

"Shoulda told me—"

"That's between you two—"

"Vits." The boy jumped; Cloud had sneaked up on him. A wooden sword's hilt was being held in front of him by the young warrior, and Vits grasped it after sheathing his silver weapon. "I'm going to attack you. Defend yourself."

Vits gulped and looked around. "Uh, am I ready for this?"

Cloud lifted up his wooden sword in his left hand. Vits figured it was because of his shoulder injury. Denzel said it was from a recent monster attack. "I'm gonna tap you, not beat you with it. Now get in position." Vits did as he was asked, holding the sword uncertainly. His mentor frowned at his weak grasp. "Hold it firmer, like you intend to use it." Vits did as he was told, and Cloud nodded in approval. After a few tense seconds the warrior went to disarm Vits, the first lesson he wanted all of them to learn: Merely having a weapon in hand didn't mean it couldn't be taken from them.

Vits stumbled as he went to collect the wooden sword as it clattered to the ground, and Cloud went to softly jab him. To his surprise he looked over and at the last second dropped down, dodging the tap as he scooped up the sword. "That was pretty good." Again he went to tap the boy; Vits reacted quickly and pushed it away with his own wooden blade, only for Cloud's sword to come back and tap him in the chest. "You died," Cloud said flatly. They continued on the same pattern of taps and occasional dodges, and Cloud was impressed by Vits' ability to dodge attacks.

"Try attacking me instead," Cloud ordered in a bid to understand Vits' strengths and weaknesses. It went as well as Cloud expected, the child unable to place a blow on him. Vits seemed to be geared purely towards defense and dodging. Still, he'd have to know how to attack eventually, especially with an unknown amount of werewolves wandering the bustling city, Cloud thought. "You need a lot of practice on your offense, but you have a talent for defense at least. Here, I'll teach you the dodge I taught the other two."

After a few minutes of training the simple roll, he had Vits repeat it until he could do it smoothly, then telling him to practice at home when he could. "I'm gonna test you the next time you come over, so make sure you practice. I'll know if you haven't." He smiled, nodding at the boy as he went to collect the wooden weapon. Cloud then went over to Evan and Barret, the detective looking rather uncomfortable because of his proximity to the gunman.

"Vits needs to practice more. I know school is coming up, but if you're serious about him being able to protect himself, he needs to be able to put in some work every day," Cloud said with a nod.

Evan scratched the back of his head. "He doesn't really have anyone to practice with."

"Bring him over here, the kids practice together or alone most days as it is. Just buy a wooden sword for him."

Evan nodded, and his hand came to rest on Vits' shoulder as he came to stand next to him, ready to go home. Vits looked up at his mentor with a smile. "Thank you, Mr. Strife."

Cloud's cheeks turned red. "...Just Cloud. And you're welcome. I'll see you guys later!"

* * *

The last time Cloud had been up on the roof, it was for a more pleasant task. This evening, however, he just wanted to get away from Barret's oppressive aura. Despite granting Cloud's request to leave him alone the rest of the day, the stares finally got to him and he skipped dinner to be alone on the roof. The sun had barely set, and the horizon in the west was painted hues of blood red that were slowly fading into sparkling indigo. He took a sip of the whiskey he favored from an icy glass, staring at the cityscape while he leaned on a small tower of concrete blocks forgotten by those who built their home years ago.

He wasn't feeling good about what was happening, where Barret's judgement would end up. The tired looks the children gave him, the look Barret gave him every time Cloud even glanced at Marlene...Did he really think she was in any danger from him? Cloud sipped his drink some more after sighing into the glass. Barret would either blow his brains out or rip his heart from his chest by tearing up the family. For now, he would pathetically drink alone on the roof.

The sound of heavy footsteps made its way to his ears, then short steps on flimsy metal. It traveled up towards him, but he barely registered it in his trance. Cloud took another, deeper sip of his whiskey, hoping to clear his mind some before he would have to sober up just enough to be able to drag himself into the bedroom.

"Thought you was out takin' a walk," a deep, gravely voice said. Cloud said nothing back, but sipped from his glass some more. The footsteps came closer, then the sound of glass being placed on hard ground nearby; Cloud looked over to see a jug of Corel wine. He glanced upwards at Barret with his glowing blue eyes.

"Guess you felt like drinkin' too," Cloud remarked as he refilled his glass lazily.

Barret grunted. "Guess it's as good a time to have that stupid 'heart to heart' Cait Sith was talkin' 'bout." He uncorked his jug after sitting down, and took a good long sip.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah." He took a swig of his drink, then stared out at the city again. "So much has changed in half a year...This furry little problem, marriage..." He let out a wistful sigh. "A new kid." Cloud looked over to Barret after sipping again. "Guess I've been busy."

Barret shook his head. "Tifa married you, even when you're like this..." He drank again from the jug.

Cloud let out a small laugh. "Yeah. I'm...lucky I have her." He danced his finger on the edge of his glass, making it squeak. He looked back at Barret. "I proposed to her up here, y'know. I was so drunk I just started ramblin', and then I pushed the ring on her finger." He shrugged with a weak, amused snort. "Guess I'm not good at the whole romantic thing," he said, as he looked down into his glass. Cloud brought it to his lips and sipped again, enjoying the warm burn down his throat.

Barret looked about the roof and let out a low hum. "Up here? I guess it's private enough."

Cloud nodded, then took a longer gulp of the amber liquid. He felt warm and fuzzy headed, the memories of that night making him smile. "I..." He looked down, putting a hand through his spikes.

Barret looked back from his jug. "You what?"

"It feels good to have a real family." His voice had begun to slur slightly.

The gunman said nothing, quietly sipping his wine.

"I don't know why you think I'd hurt any of them." He looked back up at his friend.

Barret sighed, holding his jug on a knee. "Man, if you'd just seen the things in Junon's underground...You'd know why I'm so upset!"

Cloud finished his glass, then went to pour some more. "I'm not one of those things." He looked back up, sipping from his now full glass. "Reeve has me hunting the ones here as it is."

"It's hard, man. I keep worrying you gonna kill someone again." Cloud clearly made out the worried expression on Barret's face.

Cloud shook his head. "'Again?' Barret, those hunters were gonna kill me. If they'd just left me alone that night..." He was starting to tap his fingers lazily on his knee as he drank. "Besides, it's not like either of us haven't killed out of necessity in the past."

Barret sighed heavily as he remembered the things done during the Jenova War.

"Why is it so hard to believe? I've been like this for half a year. Tifa and the kids are safe. Yuffie's safe. I've killed several of those man-eating bastards..." He held his drink to his lips, but paused. "I had no idea there were so many, just hunting invalids at the edges of the city..."

"'Cause it's scary, thinkin' 'bout it." He took a long gulp of his wine as Cloud watched him with half open eyes. "The kids keep defendin' you, you know. Even Zeph..."

Cloud allowed himself to laugh a little. "That's nice to hear. I just wish they weren't so curious to see me like that...Well, besides Zeph."

"Afraid you'll hurt them?" Barret said accusingly.

"No. I'd never hurt them, ever. It's just embarrassing... Tifa's the only one I don't feel weird about being around."

The gunman took another large gulp, the booze and talk beginning to relax his mind. "A werewolf...Wolf...Guess you see'em as your pack, then." He chuckled a little.

"Friends, family...All...my pack." He finished another glass, working towards his fifth for the night; he had a silly smile on his face as he tried to fill his glass again. He finally felt a lot better and scooted closer to Barret, and put a hand on his shoulder. "H-hey. Since you've been outta the loop, let's talk about stuff. Like I ate those pancakes that one morning as fast as I could 'cause I didn't want you or Zeph to get suspicious," he confessed.

Barret rolled his eyes. "Y'almost choked!"

Cloud wheezed out a chuckle as he slouched forward. "Yeah, and when I got outta Edge I had to throw up behind a rock. Stuff like that hurts my stomach, it sucks."

"Shit." Barret smiled into his jug, barely keeping his lips in place as he drank. "You all kept this a secret, even Nanaki!"

"Ssorry. If it makes ya feel any bedder he was about ready to claw my face off when he found out..."

Barret laughed and slapped Cloud's back, almost making him spill some of his drink. "What else've ya been up to, Spiky?"

Cloud spoke drunkenly of his misadventures, his hopes, his fears. Barret sat there listening, nodding, asking questions of his friend. As the stars began to burn more brightly in the sky, they heard the sound of someone coming up the ladder. A moment later and Tifa's head poked up from the ladder, a curious yet hopeful expression on her face.

"I had a feeling I'd find you two up here," she said to both of them, walking towards them after climbing the last few steps of the ladder. Looking at them in the twilight, Tifa noticed both of them had probably had too much to drink; Barret's silhouette was swaying slightly and Cloud's eyes were unfocused and half open as they glowed in the dim light of the city. Cloud softly took Tifa's hand, and she sat next to him. They spent a good part of the night happily talking and drinking under the night sky, no longer filled with tension, suspicion and dread.


	29. A Familiar Visitor

"Do you like this one better, or this one?" Cloud asked Denzel as they spent some alone time at an outdoors store. It had been several days since he mostly assured Barret of his good will; though the big, burly man had decided to stay a little bit longer just to make sure everything was really alright, and to spend time with his daughter. Barret had admitted he wanted to take Marlene with him to Junon the night after he had discovered his friend's secret, but the thought of her being anywhere near the werewolves in that city had lent to his initial indecision. Cloud and Tifa were still keeping her safe after everything was said and done, and after their talk on the roof he was at least certain of Cloud's intentions.

Denzel lifted the fabric of the tent, green and crinkly, and rubbed it between his thumb and fingers. "This one, I think."

Cloud grinned. "Same." He picked up the folded tent and placed it in his cart. "Are we missing anything?"

Denzel looked around, scratching the back of his head. "I don't think so..." The boy's grin grew as he looked up at his guardian. "We're really gonna go camping!" Denzel had been to the greener areas of the world on Fenrir before, but the family had never gone camping together, only day visits to places beyond the city. Cloud and the boys had taken several trips on Fenrir, helping look for a proper camping area; Cloud had taken Denzel to the green area he had taken Zeph, but the area had flooded during a rain storm. They both had a good time chasing frogs, however.

Cloud nodded. "Should be a fun time, huh?"

The child nodded enthusiastically, a smile on his face. They went to a register to pay for the equipment. Cloud paid after it was tallied up, then took it out to a car he had rented for the day; Fenrir didn't have enough space for the purchases. They entered the car after stuffing the supplies in the trunk, and Denzel sat behind his hero, the warrior taking a deep breath as he turned on the ignition.

"Y'know, your birthday is coming up in November. You're gettin' older, too, and I'm sure you remember we talked about giving you a separate room from Marlene's when you reached twelve years old," Cloud said as he began backing out of the parking spot, ready to head to Tifa's destination on the other side of the shopping plaza. "We'll get it ready soon, because it probably feels unfair that Zeph has a room by himself and you don't."

Denzel lit up at the news that he'd be getting his own room finally. It wasn't that he didn't like sleeping in the same room as Marlene, but he had been aching for more privacy as of late, and he had felt somewhat jealous of Zeph having his own room. He knew why, but he had wished they would have let him take the other room already. He had figured it was just in case any other strange surprises happened and they needed the space, like when Shelke lived with them for a time, or all of AVALANCHE visited and they barely had enough space between all the rooms. "I'm getting the room between Zeph and yours, right?"

Cloud nodded as he slowly made his way around the parking lot. "Yeah."

Tifa and Zeph soon came into view on the sidewalk, both holding bags in their hands. Cloud parked the vehicle by them, allowing them to enter; Zeph tossed his bags of clothing between he and Denzel, and Tifa softly placed her bags between her legs, giving Cloud a smile in greeting. "Did you two have fun shopping?" she asked.

Cloud slowly took off, meandering through the busy parking lot and towards the road. "Yeah. Got everything we need for the little trip." He sniffed, then brought his brows together. "...What did you buy at the grocery store?"

Tifa blushed. "Just some things to restock the fridge! You ate all the bacon, you know..." The children snickered behind them, and Cloud matched her blush.

"Sorry, Teef." He sniffed silently again; it didn't smell like bacon at all...What was it? Cloud decided to focus on driving and keeping his motion sickness at bay instead of bothering with the smell. He took his time traveling through the city, talking to Tifa or the boys here and there. They soon found themselves at the back of Seventh Heaven. The four left the vehicle to sort through their bags, Tifa, Denzel and Zeph disappearing into the garage. Cloud dug out his purchases from the trunk and placed them in the garage before returning to the rental, leaning on the door as he took a few deep breaths with his eyes closed. Driving a vehicle helped keep his motion sickness at bay mostly, but the heat of the summer and the small dimensions of the car didn't help.

Denzel peeked out open garage and walked up to Cloud. "Can I come with you?" He gave the warrior a bored look as the blond man slowly opened his eyes and looked down.

"If you want." Finished with his meditation he returned to the car, and Denzel entered the front passenger seat. Cloud started the car and began driving, thankful the rental shop was just a block away from the bar. He looked at Denzel a moment, noticing that he was enjoying the breeze from the open window.

The ride had been uneventful, with Cloud paying for the service before holding Denzel's hand as they went back towards home, attempting to stay in the mid-morning shade where ever it showed up.

"Hey, Cloud..." Denzel squeezed his guardian's hand as the both of them walked through a shady, empty area.

"What's up?"

Denzel looked up at the man. "Um, that morning when you were arguing with Barret outside of the bedroom..."

Cloud stopped in his tracks, his face flushing red. "Oh. You were awake." The boy nodded, giving an inquiring look towards the embarrassed warrior. Cloud looked away, unable to keep eye contact. He sniffed, but just found curiosity. "Look, I know I'm not...your father, or anything, and I'm not trying to replace him, either..." He sighed as he looked back at Denzel. "I...guess the sentiment is there, that's all. I'm fine just being 'Cloud'."

Denzel nodded, thinking it over. "You couldn't replace my father, anyway." Cloud frowned, a little hurt from the words. "But, no one could replace you, either. But what would you be, then?" His hero was one part father figure and one part big brother to Denzel; he looked up to and loved the person that brought him into his family from the slums despite his Geostigma. Above all, he was his hero, larger than life.

The spiky haired man chuckled. "Just Cloud." Denzel smiled, the name describing everything all at once to him. It always had.

They slowly approached the bar after their little talk, and neared the entrance to an alley. The swordsman suddenly smelled something that made him stop in his tracks and made his eyes dilate.

"Cloud? Uh, are you okay?" Denzel noticed his face seemed off as he looked up, wondering why they stopped. He tugged on his shirt.

The blond man blinked at the sound of his name, then gave a small grimace. "Yeah...I just...Stay close to me, okay?" Cloud held on tightly to the boy's hand before walking towards the bar again. "I'm taking you home. There's another werewolf nearby," he mumbled lowly to the child.

Denzel picked up his pace, wide eyed. "What if it comes to the bar?" he whispered.

"Then I'll take care of it." He silently sniffed again, the scent was stronger. His frown deepened, both at the fact it was leading towards the bar and that there was something familiar to it. They were almost there, the smell ever stronger and driving Cloud into an angry panic, running with Denzel attempting to keep pace before letting go to speed up. He quickly made it to the front steps, almost busting the door in as he flung himself into the bar with a growl.

"Cloud! Um, are you okay?" a familiar voice asked.

Cloud blinked several times, staring at the werewolf that invaded his territory. "P-Penelope?"

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" She wore a denim dress Tifa had given her a while ago, her long brown hair in a low ponytail that cascaded down her back. She wore no shoes, and her feet were covered in dirt as she stood on the wood floor. Tifa was a few feet behind her, wide eyed and frozen in her smile as she watched the two. Zeph hid behind the pugilist in pure terror as he remembered the name and who it belonged to; Cloud's face did his nerves no favors, either.

Cloud put a hand to his face and rubbed with a groaning sigh. "Yeah, it has been." He looked up, relaxed but still perplexed as Denzel cautiously entered behind him and warily eyed the girl. "What brings you to the city? How'd you even find us, anyway?" He knew she could find a trail, but Edge wasn't a small forest.

Penelope put her fingers together, smiling. "I caught your trail of course! Well, first I left the forest, and some stranger on the road told me where to go to get here. Then, I caught your scent when I reached the plaza...It was about a day of traveling." She scratched the back of her head. "Um, I came here because Ithey is sick, and I need to get him some medicine..." Her face became concerned.

Tifa spoke up. "Sick? What symptoms does he have?" She held Zeph's hand, giving it a squeeze.

Penelope rattled off a few symptoms, both adults concluding that he had the flu. "There's medicine that can relieve the symptoms, but he just needs bed rest," Tifa replied, then she frowned. "What happened to your burner phone?"

"Oh..." Penelope took it out of a pocket on the dress. "We think the battery is dead. I know you said it should last a while if it's off, but maybe it wasn't charged all that well." The woman had a frown on her face. "I guess I made the trip for nothing. Neither of us have gotten sick in a long while, so I was worried it was something serious..."

"I wouldn't say that! You can stay for dinner if you want, then Cloud can take you home tomorrow. Would that be okay?" Tifa asked. Zeph uttered a worried moan at the mention of her staying any longer than needed.

Her green eyes brightened up. "Really? I don't remember the last time I had something that wasn't cooked over a campfire. I'd really appreciate it!"

Tifa nodded. "Great! I'll make something you'll probably like."

Cloud coughed to get the attention of the women. "Barret'll be back soon, you know." Tifa frowned as she made her way behind the counter and up the stairs.

Penelope didn't like his tone of voice. "Is he mean?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, just...overprotective. He shot me in the shoulder with a silver bullet almost a week ago, because he thought I was going to hurt the family." The teen gasped, her eyes wide at the news. "I...told him about you, but not where you lived or anything, just so he knows I'm not the only werewolf out there not interested in that savagery..."

She backed towards the counter as Zeph tried to find shelter behind it. "I don't wanna get shot."

"...I'll protect you. Relax." It's not like he hadn't been shot several times already, he mused in his head.

Tifa returned from the stairs, looking towards the young werewolf and motioning her to come over as she called her name. Penelope walked to her nervously. "Would you like to use the shower?" Tifa asked.

"Y-yeah, but...I'm not gonna die here, am I?" She held a worried expression on her face.

Tifa shook her head before taking the teen's wrist. "We have your back!" They traveled upstairs, the three males silent in the bar below. Cloud gave the floor a gentle kick, slowly moving towards a stool at the counter to sit down. Zeph peeked out from the counter to look at him, and Denzel followed his hero, relaxing when he realized who it was that visited the bar.

"A-are we really gonna have her...?" Zeph's face was pale, his hands shaking as he came up to the spiky haired man.

"So that's Penelope? She seems really nice." Denzel was smiling. "Wait until Marlene sees her!"

Cloud sighed, rubbing Zeph's back to calm him down. "She won't hurt you, Zeph. We wouldn't put you in danger like that."

"What if she comes into one of our rooms while we're sleeping?"

The door to the bar opened up at that moment, Barret and Marlene walking through. The little girl was happily holding an ice cream cone in one hand and her father's hand in the other. Cloud sighed, ready to explain the situation to his friend and praying to Gaia he wouldn't again be shot. "Hey, Barret..."

* * *

"Ooooh, this is so nice!" Tifa could hear Penelope from Cloud's office as she prepared some new sheets for the bed. She smiled, figuring the young woman hadn't had a hot shower in years; Tifa wondered if Penelope even remembered what modern day plumbing was like. After several minutes of cleaning she heard a small shout from downstairs, followed by muffled discussion. Tifa frowned, but decided to stay near to the young werewolf to keep from a possible confrontation.

Little footsteps made their way up the stairs after a couple of minutes, and Denzel appeared a few moments later in the doorway. Tifa looked at him expectantly. "Barret was a little upset, but he said he's gonna keep an eye on her 'cause he's willing to give her a chance first." The woman raised her brows, happily surprised at his calmer reaction.

"Let me guess...And if she does anything a little funny, he's blowing a hole through her, right?" Tifa said, finding it predictable.

Denzel nodded, giving a small, cheeky grin.

Tifa came to the door, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "She's a little bit funny as it is, living out in the woods for five years. The city must be something else after so long..." She heard the shower stop and the girl loudly humming to herself in the bathroom. She ushered Denzel back downstairs, in case she brazenly flew out of the room naked. Tifa went to lean against the wall opposite the door, waiting.

After several minutes Penelope opened the door, her long hair still moist and wearing her new clothing, a casual white dress with thin, light blue lines of embroidered frills down it. Tifa cocked her head with a finger to her cheek. "Penelope...Have you ever thought of getting a haircut?"

Five minutes later and Tifa was busily cutting the thick locks, the teen cooing as it released stress from her neck as she dictated how short she wanted it. Tifa cut it to about shoulder length, giving her a light blue cloth band to keep her hair out of her face after drying it further with another towel. The young werewolf was delighted, clapping her hands innocently as she finished before helping Tifa clean up.

"Ithey'll be so surprised!" she gushed. They both left the bathroom, Tifa holding her hand as they went downstairs. As she reached the final step Penelope looked about, noticing two new people in the bar; a big, dark skinned man with a stern face, and a cute little girl with a pink bow in her hair wearing a light pink summer dress, her face excited. The young woman stood behind the counter, unsure if they'd accept her greeting. "H-hello..."

The man came up to the counter, looking her up and down. "You Penny?"

"P-Penny?" Her emerald eyes looked upon a frowning face, dark eyes studying her intently.

"That's short for Penelope." The big man raised a brow.

"Oh. Sorry, I just get called Penelope..." She looked down and scratched her arm awkwardly.

"It's no matter. Penny, you best not hurt a hair on these kids' heads, or you gonna deal with me. You can deal with that, we'll be cool." He was crossing his arms across his chest, appraising the werewolf.

Penny looked up at him and nodded, giving a small smile. "I can deal with that."

Her smile was returned thinly on his face, and he gave her an approving nod. "Name's Barret. Just remember, I'm gonna be watchin' you!"

After their pleasantries were finished the children had gone upstairs at Cloud's behest before having another chat with Barret in the privacy of the guest room. Tifa had opened the bar for the lunch rush while talking to Penny here and there, the teen watching the flow of people coming in and out as the afternoon went on. Cloud and Barret had eventually gone out with a cat doll for some vague job after convincing the gunman of the bar's safety, and Penny gasped at the size of the sword Cloud kept on his back. _'What kind of job needs a big sword like that? How can he use that?'_

"Penny?" She looked towards Tifa, taking a liking to the shorthand of her name. She found it cute. The barmaid had a bowl of something in front of her, gently pushing it her way. "Cloud likes this. Maybe you will, too?" It was one of the stews she had prepared for the bar. Penny sniffed it, the scent of beef and vegetables hitting her nose. She wasn't much a fan of vegetables, but their scent took nothing away from how appetizing it smelled.

"It smells good..." She tried it, smiling as she tasted it. "I see why he does!" Penny happily ate her lunch, striking up a conversation with Tifa when she wasn't assisting a customer. Tifa asked how she liked the city, if she had any plans for she and Ithey to visit together, or if she ever planned to leave the forest.

"I wanna take him, but...It's quicker if..." Penny looked away with her spoon in her mouth.

Tifa understood. "How did you get here without trouble?"

She looked back and removed the spoon from her mouth. "I traveled like that at night. Thought I saw a couple of people out there, but I steered clear," Penny whispered.

Tifa frowned. "I'm glad you didn't come sooner, they have dogs that'll sniff you out."

Penny frowned while cocking her head. "Where did they go?"

"Let's just say we know people in high places..."

Just then the bar door opened, a WRO peacekeeper and another man entering; one was taller with dark eyes and pale skin, his dark brown hair waving to one side. The other was a little shorter, wearing a sling on a shoulder. His indigo eyes observed the bar as he moved a tussle of dirty blond hair from his face. The tall one looked at Tifa, and after a moment his eyes flickered with recognition. He walked briskly to the counter; Penny frowned at them until she noticed the bartender motion for her to go behind the counter and upstairs.

"H-hey! I remember you! You're that sweet lady that was in the slums!" The two men sat at the counter, eager to speak. "I thought that other werewolf gotcha."

Tifa blushed, putting on her fakest smile. "You don't remember what happened that night, do you?"

The man frowned, shaking his head. "Not much. Came across you and some kids, and a decapitated werewolf. Something knocked me out...Did you see what?"

 _'My fists!'_ Tifa hummed. "Actually, we blacked out, too. We woke up in a strange place, but we escaped back to the plaza as quickly as we could. I thought we were goners."

His friend spoke up, his brow raised. "What were you doing down there, anyway?"

"One of the kids walked down there...He had a habit of going to that spot." Tifa shrugged nonchalantly.

The men seemed satisfied by the answer. "Well...While we're here, we'd love to try your daily special." Tifa nodded, getting to work on the meals. She listened as she cooked to their conversation; their voices were low but not low enough for her to not pick up some of it here and there.

"So...This is the bar...?"

"Yeah. Scent was at the back end. Guess it didn't die after all."

"Maybe it did, just not out there."

"Dunno. The guys that checked it out don't think it'd live here..."

Tifa sighed as she worked on their lunch. _'Why can't these people bother another bar?'_

* * *

Walking upstairs, Penny stopped by the room she would use for the night and looked quietly at the pictures that littered the back of the desk. Pictures of Cloud and Tifa's group of friends, their family...She found it curious that the little blond boy wasn't in the picture. Was he new here? There was a vase with yellow flowers in it, the smell pleasantly tickling her nose. No wonder Cloud had the faint scent of flowers on him, she thought.

She left and went towards the children's room, knocking on the door and murmuring that it was her. A girl's voice chimed from the other side to come in; she entered, noticing two smiling faces and another, wide eyed one behind the far bed, peeking out at her. Penny waved, then sat herself by the wall to talk to the children. "I think you know my name, but I don't know all of yours yet..."

"My name is Denzel!"

"I'm Marlene!" The little girl pointed towards her bed, the blond boy peeking behind it still. "That's Zeph. Cloud and Tifa rescued him from a bad werewolf, but he's still scared, even if you're nice." The boy grunted, as if insulted.

Penny frowned before rubbing her nose. Now she understood why the boy was so terrified.. "I don't think I look scary, do I?" She looked down.

Marlene giggled. "You're too pretty to be scary!"

Denzel looked about the room at the toys and games. "D'you wanna play a game with us?"

The day was going by slowly to the young woman, and she nodded, wanting something to do to pass the time. "Are you gonna join us, Zeph? It looks lonely over there..."

The boy hesitated, looking at her and then the other two. He shook his head. "...I'm fine."

* * *

Cait Sith cheered. "Woo! Ye still got thae finishin' touch, ye do!" Just a moment ago the cat had seen Cloud shortly battle a werewolf that was about to feast on a teenager, having heard the screams in time. The girl was unconscious and in Barret's arms now. Cait Sith looked over the corpse of the monster, flicking his tail.

The beast had turned as it fully changed, surprised at Cloud's advances towards her. It was smaller than the others but still something a normal human would be challenged by, and she went towards Cloud, trying to defend her hunting prize. She had moved at the last second as Cloud swiped for the neck, ripping through the chest instead. Finally he had swiped again, beheading her with a bloodthirsty smile. This job was too easy for him.

Cloud lifted up the head of the werewolf as they stood deep in the Midgar ruins. He was taking deep breaths, trying to control himself before he burst out of his skin; he felt he should be used to the feeling every time he smelled another, but it always excited him in ways he wouldn't admit. Penny was the lone exception, he thought, so long as he remembered her scent. After a few moments he nodded while tossing the head to the ground. "That's another one down."

"How many'd be down here? It's almost as bad as Junon!" Barret commented as he held the young woman.

Cloud shook his head. "I have no idea...C'mon, let's get out of here." He wiped off his blade on the torso of the slain monster before placing it back in its sheath. He lifted Cait Sith, then worked his way towards Edge again, Barret following close behind. He let out a sigh as he wondered if there was a network of the fiends in the major cities; with such a large amount of people, a few dozen werewolves or more could live without much trouble. Especially if they kept to the poorest as their victims, the easiest to take from Edge. They were completely covered until Cloud and his friends daringly struck down that bastard Valdt nearly two months ago.

"Aye, Barret! How fares the lassy?" Cait Sith said on his perch, Cloud's pauldron.

Barret looked over the teenager as they walked, looking for any suspicious injuries. "Looks fine...Just needs to wake up. Best take her to Dr. Drake to make sure."

They made their way back, traveling from the very back of the Sector Four Slums near Sector Three. The job took several hours of walking and Cloud had trailed the beast as he stalked the slums, finally alerted by screams that had issued from an uninhabited corner beneath the plate. Leaving would be an easier task, since they were not tracking an elusive monster in the waning daylight. Crunching through rubble they continued on silently. Cloud's ears perked at a noise, and his eyes shifted about. Time felt like it stood still as dread pooled in his stomach and Barret readied his hand cannon. Soon, a large rat popped out of a broken shack, squeaking at the small party as it rested upon a rough chunk of concrete. Cloud relaxed, and let out a snort.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted it, but he was too late; the dusty furred wolf was already digging its teeth into Cloud's uncovered shoulder, claws ripping into his back and sides. He grimaced, and jammed a thumb into the challenger's eye socket in an attempt to get it to dislodge. It was to no avail as the monster began shaking its head in an attempt to tear the flesh. Barret shot at it after shuffling the teenager over his shoulder, grazing its back and making it roar in pain. It finally released its hold on Cloud's mangled shoulder. The flesh was torn and bleeding from the monster's vicious attack.

"You shouldn't have let go," Cloud hissed before kicking the werewolf's leg hard enough to hear a crunch; it buckled from the injury and was swiftly punched in the muzzle as it swiped at Cloud's chest, adding to his injuries and making him snarl at the sneaky wolf. Fallen to the side from the superhuman punch, it attempted to get up again only to get a savage kick to the face and then a boot heel to the eye socket. A primal scream issued from its injured maw.

As it lay there dazed, Barret calmly walked towards it. He aimed and shot the monster in the head, immediately putting an end to the werewolf's life. Cloud collapsed in a heap a moment later, breathing heavily as his body started to knit itself back together. Hojo's experiments and his lycanthropy accelerated his healing. "...That's one...for you, Barret." Cloud looked up and gave his friend a winced grin.

Barret kneeled down next to his friend, looking him over. "I know you can heal, man. But this looks pretty bad." Indeed, his blood was splattered all over his clothing; he looked like a still animated murder victim to the gunman. Cait Sith was looking over the injuries and then examined his tail; the tip was missing some fur from the attack. Cloud huffed and shook his head.

"It's healing. I'm more worried about going out in this ruined shirt...People might think I murdered someone." Cloud slowly removed his pauldron as Cait Sith moved off him, then unzipped his shirt. He methodically peeled it away from the healing cuts and avoided his touching his necklace. When it was finally off he folded it, then took a small hi-potion out and smeared it over his injuries and dumped the rest over his back. He sighed as he sat there in the dirt as he let the potion do its job.

After a few minutes he gingerly picked himself up, and took his side sash off. Cloud used it to wipe off the blood and potion from him, then handed the fabric to Barret. "Could you get my back, please?"

Barret frowned at the request. "I dunno if that's safe, man..."

"I'm not infectious like this," Cloud mumbled. Barret hesitated a moment, then used his free hand to wipe away the blood as best he could. Finally, Cloud wrapped his ruined shirt in the side sash, tucking the bloody package under an arm and holding his pauldron in the other, his wounds white and deep pink and beginning to fade after twenty minutes of nursing. What would have taken at least a day of healing would have taken a few hours without the potion; he wondered how such an ability was granted to werewolves and Hojo never looked for it. Then again, the scientist scoffed at legends and myths, he thought. "Let's get the hell out of here, before another one shows up and I end up in my birthday suit." They began to travel again, thanking their lucky stars they were almost at the edge of the city.

The plaza was busy this evening as they entered it. The three had strange looks glared their way with a bare chested, man with a cat on his shoulder and swords on his back walking with another man who had an unconscious teen girl in his arms. Cloud glanced at Barret, then motioned with his head. "I'm gonna head home, I feel kinda weird without a shirt on..." He looked over his friend's shoulder and noticed a few young women eyeing him; he blushed. Barret nodded, and Cait Sith leaped onto the gunman's shoulder.

"Aye'll tell the good doc ye said 'ello, laddie!" the cat squeaked. Cloud nodded before walking towards the bar as his friends headed towards the nearby clinic. He felt eyes on him as he walked through the dimly lit street, and smelled something that brought the word "attraction" to mind. It was the same scent Tifa had when she wanted him, and his blush grew until he made it to Seventh Heaven He let the sounds beyond the door drown out the hushed whispers of women making comments about his body.

They wouldn't be saying those things if they knew what he was, he thought.

With a sigh he opened up the door, and was greeted to two familiar and unwanted scents. Cloud looked about for the intruders in his den as he entered and walked by tables filled with patrons, his eyes finally settling on Tifa and two very familiar men drinking beer in the dimly lit bar. Familiar men that were looking at him dead in the eye as he walked towards the counter. He didn't blink once as he approached.

"Have...I seen you somewhere before?" asked the short one. His voice was dripping with nervousness. He looked Cloud up and down, and noticied the white gold ring dangling off of his chest.

"I don't think so," Cloud replied nonchalantly, his face an unreadable mask to the two.

"You look really familiar for some reason," said the WRO peacekeeper. He narrowed his eyes.

Cloud decided to play along. "Where do you think you saw me, then?" He gave them a mocking smirk.

They said nothing, and returned to their drinks. Tifa gave Cloud a worried, confused look, and he gave her a nod back; he would tell her what happened later. Cloud went past the counter and walked up the steps towards a needed hot shower after he went to the bedroom to return his gear. He figured he could bring his swords back to the garage later. His ears perked as the men spoke before he was out of earshot, and he stopped halfway up the stairs to listen.

"He lives with you?" asked the shorter, blond haired one.

"Yeah, that's my husband," Tifa said.

"A man like that looks like he could have a secret life, if you catch my drift," replied the tall peacekeeper solemnly.

"Um, no, I don't." Tifa sounded annoyed under her cheerful response.

"Cloud! Are you okay?! I smelled your blood..." Penny had popped out of the children's room, a worried look on her face as she stood at the top of the stairs. He jumped at her whisper, having been focused on the two bumbling hunters downstairs. Marlene and Denzel appeared behind her, their faces glancing downwards at Cloud.

He walked the rest of the way up the stairs. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'll talk after the bar is closed, okay? Right now I really need a shower." Cloud walked by them after a short nod of a greeting to the two children, then tossed his ruined shirt in the trash and throwing his dust apron in the special hamper Tifa had in the room for occasions where he had come home covered in monster gore. His pauldron was dropped onto the table in next to the door, and he figured it could stay there for now. He took out his night clothing and left for the bathroom, ready to wash away the evening's adventures.

* * *

A couple of hours later and Tifa had dinner ready with Penny's help; the teen would fetch things or slice vegetables for her friend, happily listening to directions. Tifa had made a large pot roast, the young werewolf commenting that she had never tried one before.

The group sat at the table after everything was brought out. Barret was protectively watching over Marlene, and Zeph was warily watching Penny as Cloud asked for the pepper shaker. Penny sheepishly took a few slices of meat and some of the vegetables, since they had been soaked in beef juices. She didn't want to feel rude, only taking the meat. As she ate a slice, she found herself enjoying the seasoned meat, and began wondering if some day she should return to the city if just to have Tifa teach her how to cook like this.

"So, we're gonna go on a camping trip before school starts, but the last place flooded...We might check it again, though," Denzel said as he chewed his mouthful, and Cloud gently chastised him to not talk with his mouth full.

Penny stabbed at some of the meat on her plate. "You can camp in our forest if you want. There's not too many monsters there, anymore."

Zeph glared worriedly at her as he bit into some carrot, then looked towards Cloud. Barret grunted and shook a finger at Penny. "You won't be botherin' them?"

"No...I mean, if they want me to visit..."

Cloud cleared his throat. "I might do that, it's really nice there. Thanks, Penny." The teen beamed.

Tifa nodded. "It really is. We'll be there for the children, Barret, like we always are!"

Barret grumbled but slowly nodded. "As long as they're safe, especially my little girl!" Marlene smiled back at her father, then gave a nod to Penelope. She looked forward to visiting the forest.

"I hope there's frogs there..." Denzel remarked as he poked some vegetables with a wicked grin.

Penny nodded. "There's a couple of creeks there where you can find them!"

Marlene shook her head and made a face. "I hate frogs!"

"You liked that frog I gave you last year," Denzel replied evilly.

"Denzel..." Cloud moaned, biting his lip to keep from smiling. Last summer the boy had put a fat, slimy frog into Marlene's wildflower bucket as they visited a creek near Kalm. When she had reached in to grab a bunch to give to Cloud, she had screeched as it struggled in her hand, croaking, before she flung it into his chest in a panic. The creature had squirmed into his partially opened shirt and had caused him to shout and dig for the clammy frog.

Tifa sighed. "We'll talk more about that, later..."

* * *

Cloud and Tifa had put the children to bed after brushing up on Zeph's school work to make sure he would be ready next month. Barret had given him science tips from his work on the oil fields as they moved from math while Cait Sith entertained the other two children. The couple took their time reassuring Zeph that Penny wasn't going to come into his room and eat him; the boy was given his silver sword to lean near his bed if it would help him sleep. Cloud, Tifa and Penny went into Cloud's office, conversing with the young woman before she went to bed. She was shocked to find out the reason Cloud went out earlier was to hunt other werewolves, and both she and Tifa were doubly shocked at the reason why he was bare chested when he got home.

"You hunt werewolves now?"

Cloud nodded. "Instead of those stupid hunters covering the city, it's just me. That way I don't have to worry about being found out." Tifa frowned while fidgeting with her fingers.

Penny was wide eyed. "I know Tifa said you had friends in high places, but that means someone that's really in charge of everything knows that you're..."

"The head of the WRO, and the head of intelligence, too. We're old friends," he responded, giving a half smile. "I told him to avoid the forests around Junon, so you should be safe." Penny smiled, and nodded in thanks.

Tifa cleared her throat, worry apparent on her face. "Those two in the bar, they got really nosy after you got home. Are they someone you encountered?"

Cloud sighed. "The ones that injured me last month. They probably want revenge for the hunter that didn't make it."

Penny gasped. "You _killed_ one?"

Cloud looked at her with a resigned look. "I didn't have much of a choice. I tried to avoid them, but...they followed me." With a sigh, he scratched his cheek. "But now they're interested in the bar, because I look enough like me as..." He closed his eyes with a mirthless laugh.

"Just be careful when you're out...They might be watching you now. They wouldn't stop asking questions, but I don't think they believed my answers...Maybe they think I'm a werewolf, too."

Cloud snorted. "I really don't want to kill them, but if they want to put me on the spot again I won't have a choice."

Penny scratched her head. "It's gotten dangerous outside of the forest..." The two nodded at her, slightly envious of her life so far away from human troubles.

They spoke a while longer before the couple wished Penny goodnight. They came to lay upon their bed almost as soon as they entered their room, with Cloud blinking up at the ceiling and Tifa curled up next to him, using his shoulder as a pillow. The spiky haired man turned his head towards her, sniffing her hair with a small smile on his face. She looked up at him, her eyes full of curiosity in the darkness.

"What do I smell like?" she asked.

Cloud looked back, then his eyes looked upward as he thought. He sniffed her quietly again, his hand on her arm. "...Like lilacs and roses and spice...It's nice, and heavy."

Tifa smiled at the description. "Did I always smell like this?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but...there's something extra now I can't describe properly. Maybe it's pheromones. I love your scent..." He gave her a kiss on her forehead, his eyes closing.

Tifa gave a small giggle. "You have a smell, too, you know..." She sniffed at the crevasse between his neck and his shoulder, the sound of her trying to imitate him making Cloud grin goofily. "You smell like...leather and lilies and earth. With just a hint of mako. It's comforting...I always missed it when you were gone on a delivery. I'd sleep on your pillow."

He cracked open his eyes. "Really?"

Tifa nodded. She looked back up at him, a serious look on her face. "Please be careful. Those two are gonna be after you, and I..."

Cloud squeezed her, then brought their foreheads together. "I promise, Tifa. I'll take some precautions before I take Penny back home, just to be safe."

Tifa nodded, swallowing hard. She snuggled up to the warrior, slowly falling asleep with him, he promise an assurance in her heart.


	30. A Special Day

There was that smell again...Cloud sniffed the air. It smelled delicious, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. He knew it had to be some sort of meat, but it didn't smell like anything he was familiar with. He slowly opened his tired eyes, and noticed Tifa wasn't in bed. It was still dark out and he turned to look at the clock on his nightstand; it was four in the morning. Cloud blinked a few times, curiosity overwhelming him. What was Tifa cooking at this hour? He quietly crept out of bed and slowly made his way down the hall, half awake as the scent grew stronger in his nose.

"Hmm...Blanch and then cook it..." Tifa's mumbled whispers made their way to Cloud's ears as he waited at the top of the steps, observing her shadow move about in the galley. What was she cooking? He started to sleepily make his way down the stairs, his curiosity getting the best of him. Still, he tried his best to be quiet about it. His foot hit a creaky step, however, and he whispered a curse. Tifa was almost immediately at the base of the stairs, blocking his path to the galley.

"Cloud, it's still early...I'll call you when breakfast is ready, okay?" She gave him a smile, the werewolf sniffing out...anxiety? His brows slowly knitted together.

Cloud blinked his half open eyes. "...Is everything okay?" he croaked.

Tifa nodded furiously. "Yes! Now get back to bed!" she whispered while trying to turn his shoulders the other way.

"But...it smells tasty," he mumbled.

"Between you and Penny..." Tifa sighed, then gave him a tired, but fond, smile. "You can have some later. It's a surprise!"

Cloud yawned while mulling over her response. "Okay." He turned back to go back to bed, nearly tripping over a step in his stupor. He cursed yet again as he almost planted his face into a step. He stumbled back into the hallway, shuffling towards the bedroom. The door to Zeph's bedroom opened up as he walked by, and he stood there, zombie-like as the boy stared up at him from the crack in his door. "...Mornin'," he groaned out.

"Morning..." He opened the door some more. "You can't sleep, either?"

"Um...Tifa's cooking somethin' good, it woke me up. Did that wake you up too?" Cloud asked quietly, his eyes still half open.

Zeph shook his head. "Had a nightmare..."

Cloud frowned. "Why didn't you get me or Tifa?" he mumbled softly.

"I was afraid to leave the room..."

The warrior shuffled into Zeph's room, ushering him back into his bed and sitting near him, his back leaning on the nightstand. "D'you wanna talk about it...?" His eyes blinked slowly as he stared at his feet. Cloud shifted on his bottom a little until he was comfortable.

The blond child shook his head. "It wasn't that bad. I just can't get to sleep because..."

Cloud understood despite his barely conscious state, or he thought he did. "I'll get the bad guys, kiddo. No one messes with my family..." He started to lean his spiky head on the mattress. Zeph felt a little perplexed about bad guys until he began to hear the werewolf's gentle snores next to him. He decided he could sleep with Cloud near him despite the snoring, shoving the covers back on his body with an amused grin.

* * *

Some time after breakfast Cloud was sent out on an errand for Tifa, and he looked down at the list of things she needed him to get for the bar. He felt suspicious, the way she pushed him out of the bar, the list of strange things he would need to get around town...He was sure they already had bananas(He could smell those) and batteries at the bar and had argued that, but Tifa wouldn't have any of it. With a sigh he had decided to walk around for the items; the stores weren't that far away and it wasn't as if there was a very long list. It was warm out, but not yet unbearable as it would be later on. The heat made him wonder if he should adopt shorts at some point in his life, then thought better of it.

He made a trip to the pharmacy down the street first, finding the medicine Tifa had requested. Cloud assumed it was for Penny to give to Ithey, and he scratched the back of his neck as he tried to figure out what brand to choose, finally settling on one with a purple label before paying for it. He looked back down at the list as he walked towards a nearby hardware store. He sniffled to take in the scents in the city, and looked about as he traveled. The streets were abuzz with humans doing this or that, a passing thought making him wonder how they'd react to the knowledge that there was a werewolf passing by them at that very moment.

 _'Let's see...She needed a pack of washers...'_ Cloud went down several isles after entering the large building, looking for the little round bits. He wondered if it was for something he'd have to repair in the house soon, a usual occurrence for him when he hadn't been making deliveries. Eventually he found the little things in an isle towards the back and went to pay for them, but looked about. He felt like someone was following him now, and it was putting him on edge. He left the store quickly, then looked down his list again. Bananas and batteries. _'What a strange list.'_

He walked towards the grocer, plucking his phone out of his back pocket to check the time; it was already 11:30. The sun was beating down harder upon the city, and he wiped sweat from his brow as he finally reached his next destination. The feeling of being followed hadn't let up, and he frowned. He wondered who could possibly be watching him as he looked about his surroundings, and hoped it was just Yuffie trying to surprise him or something. Cloud sighed in resignation as he entered the cool store. He began to look about for the batteries requested by his loving, perplexing wife, the thought making him smile to himself. The warrior knew this store well after having to fetch milk or something else forgotten that was needed for dinner many an evening. The batteries requested were hanging on a display in the electronics section, filled with cheap music players and memory sticks.

After a few minutes of deliberation he chose the brand he saw most of the time in the house, then turned to some light bulbs resting behind him. Cloud took a box, figuring it wouldn't hurt to have a few extra in case one blew. _'Finally, bananas...'_ He went towards the produce section, the vivid yellow fruits beckoning him to come closer. Cloud winced, disliking the astringent smell of the fruit's peel, but continued on with his investigation of which ones would be best for the other inhabitants of the house. They were hyper sweet mush in his mouth anymore, and as he found an almost ripe bunch, he felt a pang of wistfulness for days past when he truly enjoyed the tropical fruit.

Bringing himself to the front to wait in line, he looked about as the line slowly made headway. Cloud's stomach growled, the smell from the meat counter not doing him any favors; he wondered if he could find something to snack on over there but thought better of it, not wanting to ruin his appetite when he got home. How would he eat it, anyway, he wondered. Raw? Not that he hadn't eaten meat raw before but it'd look rather grisly in public. He furrowed his brow, still unsure what Tifa had been cooking early this morning that smelled so good. It was meat, he could catch that much, but what kind of meat? Mentally shrugging, he decided he'd find out when she gave him some later, a promise he'd hold her to. As his turn in line came up, Cloud purchased the items, then quickly made for the exit and hopefully a lunch involving that mystery food.

Cloud looked about again, thinking about the best route to take home. He moved towards a small, shady street, disliking the midday sun on his fair skin. The warrior crossed the hot parking lot and peeked both ways before crossing the street with his bags gently swinging upon his arm. After taking a few steps on the sidewalk he paused to look behind him with a frown; he knew he had been followed! The two from the bar last night were watching him nearby. What to do? He looked about with his eyes, unsure how to approach them.

Intimidate them? Maybe. Cloud looked the taller one in the eyes, then casually walked closer to the duo with a stony face. The shorter one, about his own height with short blond hair, took a small step back as if surprised by the brazen action; he was obviously afraid of him, and it wasn't just from his scent. _'Don't run...I might decide to chase you.'_ Cloud stopped a few feet from them and cocked his head. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The short one spoke up. "Uh, fancy meeting you here!" He gave an unconvincing grin.

Cloud snorted. "Why are you two following me?"

The tall one drawled out, "we aren't...we're havin' a day off, enjoyin' the plaza. Right, Ichi?" The other nodded his head quickly.

The blond haired warrior looked at both of them with a withering look, then stared at Ichi's healing arm. "What happened to your arm?" he asked innocently.

Ichi didn't respond except to swallow hard and look fearfully into the werewolf's eyes. Cloud knew he knew, and he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the guy despite the considerable pain and worry he had given him. He shook his head. "I guess it's dangerous being a peacekeeper."

"Yeah. Especially when there's werewolves about, killin' people," the taller fellow said with an accusatory voice.

"Merle..."

"Oh, it was a werewolf attack? You're lucky it didn't kill you." Cloud raised a brow at the two. "Did you finish it off?"

Merle glowered back. "No, _it_ got away. We're staking _it_ out."

"Oh. Are you the hunter that the WRO has finding the werewolves now?" the warrior asked casually.

"...No. This is personal. Y-It killed our friend, so we're gonna kill it." Merle's voice was low. Ichi gave a few nervous nods of his head.

Cloud put his free hand up to his chin. "My condolences," and he truly meant it, "but you may as well leave it to the local hunter, don't you think?"

Merle tilted his head forward slightly, giving a threatening glare to his black eyes. "Well, we know where this one lives..."

Cloud gave a narrow eyed glare back. "And where would that be?"

"With some foolish woman."

Cloud sneered, but said nothing back. _'Calling Tifa foolish...Tool.'_

"Uh, Merle—"

"You should leave it to the hunter, then. He's bagged several werewolves already, you know," Cloud interrupted. "Seems he might be better at catching them than you two, no offense."

Ichi frowned. "We don't even know where he's stationed." He wondered why the hell he talking fondly about a guy that kills werewolves efficiently.

"I think you've been there recently." Cloud gave a smirk at their confused faces. "Well, I better be going. Enjoy your day off." He turned around and walked away towards a side road that lead to the bar. He disappeared into the crowd, leaving the two peacekeepers to fruitlessly look for him.

Cloud ambled through the crowd, just wanting to finally get home. He had those bumbling hunters on his tracks now, and he doubted his indirect confrontation would stop them from hounding him. Maybe he'd have to kill them after all. He stopped in his tracks momentarily. _'That's not who I am, is it?'_ He frowned. He'd come up with another way if he could, and hoped to not have another showdown with the two. No one else had to die, if they would only go away, he thought.

Beginning his walk towards home again, he began to smell something that was definitely cooking meat as he came up to the bar, and it was making his mouth water...That was steak! Steak for lunch? Cloud was a little confused but not unhappy, though he figured his would be cold by now. He would be late getting back. He made his way to the door, the "Closed" sign swinging on the handle, and he frowned. Tifa closed the bar for the day? He figured everyone had already ate already and the lunch crowd would be in full swing. Fiddling with his back pocket and then fidgeting a key into the front door, he opened up and came inside, then fished the keys out and back into his pocket before closing the door and locking it again. He looked back towards the galley. "Tifa, I got the stuff—"

A chorus of various voices blew through his ears. "Happy birthday!"

He looked around in a surprised daze; Tifa, Barret, Cait Sith, Penny and the three children were smiling at him from the counter. His eyes widened a little bit in shock before he blushed, and he walked forward to greet them with a shy smile growing on his lips. "T-thanks!" He looked down. "I actually forgot it was my birthday..."

Barret patted him hard on the back, causing him to grunt. "We got yo back, Spiky! If you don't remember, we will!"

The children came towards him, bounding over with a crudely wrapped gift. He crouched down to take it, and noticed it was rectangular in shape. He cocked his head, wondering what they would give him; Cloud tore off the wrapping and stared at a crudely painted picture on a thick paper of him and Tifa on Fenrir, with yellow flowers everywhere and his sword out as he charged some ugly looking monster. It looked sort of like a Behemoth.

Marlene pointed at the bottom of the painting. "I painted the flowers, 'cause you like them so much!"

"I think I painted your bike pretty good!" Denzel said proudly.

Zeph grinned as he pointed at the purple monster. "I painted him, I made him look pretty scary, didn't I?"

Cloud gave them a huge grin, then hugged them tightly. "It looks great. I'm gonna hang it in the garage, so I see it every time I work on Fenrir, or train you." The children gave gleeful giggles before he stood up, giving the painting another glance before looking up at the other adults. He reverently placed the gift on the counter next to him as he came to sit down after his long errand. There was a gift from Barret that he was holding in both hands, which looked to be a new leather bracer.

"That one's reinforced and it's rare dragon leather, too." Barret handed it to his friend, and Cloud looked it over before trying on the black band. It fit him well, and had several materia slots on the side. He flexed it a bit with a grin.

"Thanks. I needed a new one!"

Tifa placed a plate with a thick steak on it next to him. She collected some of the other plates, Penny helping behind her, giving them out to the people in the room with their preferred doneness. Zeph had been troublesome to pinpoint what he wanted, since he had never had steak before. She placed a dish in front of him. "It's right in the middle," she assured him.

She went to sit next to Cloud. He was already happily chomping on his steak; Penny and Barret were on the other side of the counter, eating and talking between themselves and Cait Sith. The warrior was happily perplexed that the big guy was socializing with the werewolf, mostly about adventures they'd had. Happy adventures. _'Penny can weasel her way into anyone's heart, I guess.'_ Barret gave a huge laugh as she regaled a tale of how her mate, Ithey, once had to chase after a squirrel that took off with his last pair of socks into the woods. Despite Penny's efforts to track it, they never found the little critter.

Cloud looked back at Tifa. "Thank you. This is great, Teef." He gave her a big, genuine smile, making her grin back.

"You remembered mine when I forgot it...I guess we're even, then," she said with a wink, before eating a slice of her steak.

They ate their lunches while speaking of this or that. Zeph had frowned at one point as a red, bloody fluid pooled on his plate and stained his vegetables; Tifa had to convince him that yes, it was normal, and no, it wasn't actually blood, Barret agreeing to soothe his concerns.

"I like well done myself, 'cause I don't like that all on my plate. But there ain't nothin' wrong with it!" he said. Barret pointed his thumb at Cloud, who held a piece of particularly red steak on his fork. "Now, his steak can still moo!"

Cloud scoffed as a few chuckles came to his ears. "You know it's fresh if it does that," he joked.

Zeph smiled at the banter and nodded, then studied the meat he had been eating. "I guess it's kinda weird, but I do like it," he said sheepishly.

Denzel gave a half smile. "Most people do."

After they were done, Tifa brought out a cake she had made during the morning as Cloud looked about town for the things she had asked for. It was a cake of blue and yellow frosting, because Marlene insisted it look a little like the birthday boy. Cloud smiled, and despite having no love for sweets any longer said he'd have a piece. Tifa shook her head and he frowned.

"I know you don't like sweets anymore. So, I looked up something that you might like, a recipe from Mideel. Um, by the way you were acting this morning, I think I might have struck gold..." She smiled while blushing.

"What was it? I'm kinda desperate to try some," he said, excited he'd finally try whatever she had been cooking earlier.

"You'll see!" Tifa said before she sliced into the cake and serving it out on plates. Then she went to the fridge, fishing something out on one of the lower shelves. She returned with two plates she uncovered, placing one in front of Cloud, then placing the other in front of Penny. She came back to her husband, hands on the counter. "It's a fine meat pate, made with something called sweetbreads. I figured it might be similar in texture to a cheesecake to you, but I'm not a werewolf...I don't know for sure if it'll be like that at all." Tifa tapped her fingers on the counter, looking at him and then the mound on his plate.

Cloud looked at the small brown tower, silently sniffing it. It smelled amazing to him, and he took a fork to slice at it. He took a bite, and found the texture to be soft and velvety, and the flavor not quite like the meat he'd had in the past. It was tangy and almost sweet in a good way, his taste buds yearning for more. "It's really good," Cloud said hungrily. Penny agreed, appreciating the pate and happily wolfing it down.

"Guess I'll call it Werewolf's Delight," Tifa joked.

"It really is a delight!" Penny chimed as she ate. "Hey, Cait Sith, you want a bite?"

The robot cat shook his head with a laugh. "Sorry lassy, I cannae eat!"

Barret shook his head as he bit into another forkful of his chocolate cake."I'll keep to cake, myself," he mumbled.

Cloud snorted. "I kind of miss it, how it tasted. But this is really good, too." He took another bite, appreciating all the work Tifa put into his birthday meal. He looked back at the children, and they were happily eating their dessert. Marlene's lips, despite the amount of times she wiped at them, were beginning to stain blue. He turned back with a smile tugging at his lips still, and looked Tifa in the eye. "Thank you, Teef."

She winked at him. "Later on, I'll give you your present."

* * *

Penny waved goodbye to everyone before hopping onto Fenrir and after Marlene gave her a big hug. Even Zeph gave her a little smile before she left, and Denzel pat his shoulder for encouragement. A leather knapsack gifted by Barret with supplies for Ithey and her home was hanging from her shoulder and resting on the opposite hip. Her feet were trying to find a good resting place on the large motorcycle; as interested in riding it as she had been the first time she laid eyes on it, Fenrir was almost intimidating to attempt to sit on.

"Thank you so much for everything! Hope to see you all soon!" she chimed, and then, holding onto Cloud's shoulders, they zoomed off towards her home in the afternoon sunlight. Her eyes looked this way and that as she soaked in the city's sights as they drove through Edge on the motorcycle, the smell of humans and dust and steel a contrast to her forest home. Eventually they ended up in the Midgar Wastes, the seemingly endless expanse of dusty dead fields almost depressing compared to the lively city or the greenery of the Junon area. They merged onto a road that went to Junon, and Cloud sped up as the road's traffic grew nonexistent.

Finally they reached the green zone between Midgar and Junon, the rocky land bridge opened up by the Lifestream smoothed over by WRO workers almost a year ago for vehicle travel. The air was far more familiar and clean here to Penny, who smiled at the thought of seeing Ithey again. A few moments later and she softly frowned as she caught Cloud's scent. "What's wrong?"

Cloud looked back towards her. "The people behind us have been following for a while now." He guessed it was those bumbling idiots again, since it looked like one of the WRO's vehicles. He slowed down, then came to a rest on the side of the road before taking his main sword out of the bike holster and into his back sheath after hopping off. "Stay here."

Penny nodded, and she looked back at the scene unfolding behind her. She hoped Cloud wouldn't have to use his blade on whoever they were.

Just as Cloud predicted, it was them. The WRO vehicle stopped close by, and Ichi and Merle were there, staring at him. While Ichi looked like he just wanted to go home and forget anything happened, Merle was obviously out for blood. They got out, and Cloud immediately noticed the holsters on their hips. He narrowed his eyes at the duo. "What brings you out here?" He slowly walked towards them, stopping five feet away as they nervously took out their guns. At that moment, he was glad he had taken his sword with him.

"Got yourself another victim?" Merle spit out venomously, letting down the charade from earlier.

Cloud sighed. "Yeah, sure. 'Another victim'. Look, I wanna get home soon, so..."

"So what?" Merle asked as Ichi nervously watched.

Cloud closed his eyes under his goggles as he lifted a hand; little marbles were glinting in the sunlight on his bracer. "So... _Sleep._ "

They immediately fell to the ground, asleep. "Tifa told me to be prepared..." he mumbled with a smirk. The warrior took their guns and fished about their jeep, taking the keys and searching for any possible weapons on board. Satisfied, he made his way back to Fenrir, and zoomed off towards his destination again. Penny looked back, feeling perplexed.

"What happened to them?"

"I used a sleep spell on them. They should be out for about half an hour." He was grinning as he said it. The teen snorted at his little trick, remembering that people used materia for many things still. After a while longer Cloud went off the road, taking his bike toward the secret path that led to Penny's shack. They trundled on, and he slowed Fenrir as they approached the tunnel of dark trees. The dirt path was bumpy and made them both shake upon the bike. Cloud let out a pained grunt at one point as a particularly harsh bump made him rise and fall on his more sensitive areas. He bit his lip and winced, hoping to not hit that again on his return trip.

As they entered the clearing, a sick Ithey that stood at the front of the shack came into view. Cloud noticed that their living area had been improved with the supplies they had been given; the roof had makeshift bark tiles and a raw looking front door, and their wild garden had rope barriers now. He stopped the bike halfway through the clearing and slid off the seat, then helped Penny off. She bounded over to her mate and hugged him fiercely.

"Oh, Ithey! I hope you were alright while I was gone..." she cooed to the sick teen.

He sniffled. "I was afraid you'd get hurt, Penelope," Ithey mumbled. His eyes were rheumy and his nose was running. He looked at her as if she was missing something, then he smiled after sniffling again. "You got a haircut..."

She cocked her head with a warm smile. "Isn't it nice? Tifa did it!"

"You've looked better, Ithey." Cloud approached them, and held out a thermos. "Here, Tifa made this soup. We figured you just have a flu, so just try and rest and stay warm..." He chuckled. "Well, I guess she can keep you pretty warm." He remembered how Penny's fur was somewhat longer than his own, and probably came in handy during the winter. Even now, it would be useful; it wasn't nearly as hot here as it was in Edge.

Ithey gave a ghost of a smile, taking the warm container into his hand. "Thanks for this, and keepin' Penny out of trouble." The young woman grinned, whispering assurances to her mate that she had been safe in the city.

"I better get going, now. Penny, we'll come by after the next Full Moon to camp, if that's okay with you?" Cloud asked.

Penny nodded enthusiastically. "I'll be sniffin' around for ya!" Ithey raised a brow, but decided to ask later, when he felt better.

Cloud nodded and said his goodbyes, then hopped onto his bike, slowly disappearing into the woods again. Penny rustled through her new knapsack, finally finding the medicine Tifa had given her for her mate. She gave him the package, and he took a couple of the pills after reading the directions, drinking from a water pouch to wash them down. He sighed as he made his way back into the shack with the soup thermos while Penny stripped her dress off.

"Comin' in, Penelope?" he asked hopefully. "...Or goin' out?"

"In! I have to keep you warm, remember?" she chimed.

* * *

Cloud zoomed off on his bike as soon as he hit the road, and wondered to himself whether he should let the hunters have their keys back or not. The sun was slowly beginning its afternoon descent towards the horizon, and he really didn't feel like having to deal with them after a nice birthday party. He wanted to just go home and spend time with everyone.

He figured that Ichi guy just wanted to forget everything that happened, but Merle was after him like he broke his pride. What the hell was his problem, Cloud wondered? Maybe that Harry fellow was a good friend of his. The thought caused Cloud to frown, displeasure written on his face. Everyone had to have a backstory, didn't they? He squeezed Fenrir's steering handles.

But, he had given them ample time to go away that night. _'Am I angry at them, or myself? Maybe both.'_

Soon he found himself back at the same place he left them after flooring Fenrir as fast as it would go with no one on his back. Slowing down he approached the two sitting in the jeep at a crawl, all the while shaking his head at them. They looked like they hadn't been awake for very long. "You two should just stick to peacekeeping," Cloud said as he stopped the bike next to their vehicle.

He took his goggles off, and stared them both down. Merle narrowed his eyes as he clenched his fist on the wheel, and Cloud casually draped an arm on Ichi's door after he had gotten off Fenrir; the blond haired man was looking back up at Cloud nervously, much too close for his comfort.

Merle's accusation was quick and harsh. "Done eating that poor girl, you monster?"

"I took her home."

Merle knew Junon was that way, and that place was a den of monsters in the underground. "I'm sure you did," he replied sarcastically.

Cloud looked down at Ichi, the man wide eyed under his short bangs; he then made eye contact with Merle again. What could he say to him? His friend was dead. "Are you trying to get yourself or your other friend here killed?"

The tall man said nothing.

Cloud shook his head. "If I wanted to, I could kill you both right now. I won't, even if it'd be the easier route. I'm giving you a chance to walk away, here."

Ichi looked back between the two with an agitated, nervous glare, wondering if his friend would take the offer. Merle sat frozen for a moment, staring unblinkingly into the werewolf's eyes. Cloud watched him, his brow raised as he waited for an answer. As soon as he glanced down towards the angry man's friend again Merle lunged, a silver dagger in his hand; the warrior grasped his wrists as his belly laid atop Ichi's chest. Cloud looked down a moment, panting softly.

"You're out of your league," Cloud snarled in a low voice, then looked up with a feral face. Merle's eyes went to his teeth, the points glistening back at him. The warrior grabbed the offending wrist harder until the peacekeeper finally let go with a groan, and then he was shoved back into his seat, his back flopping against the metal door. The werewolf sent a hostile stare at him, and then at Ichi. "You're making this _really_ hard right now."

"God, Merle, just let him go!" Ichi said, fed up with being on the whims of his friend and the werewolf that nearly killed him.

Merle said nothing. He just stared into those feral blue eyes glaring at him from across the vehicle.

"I'm telling you this one last time, leave me alone. I don't want to have to kill you, so why press your luck?" Cloud was dumbfounded.

Ichi let out a nervous breath, so close to the one who knocked him across the wastes! "Please, can we just—"

Merle growled, "when the WRO finds out about you and your little hidey hole..."

Cloud's face went from a cruel glare to a knowing smile. Merle...This was the same one Barret mentioned, wasn't it? He dropped the keys to the jeep in Ichi's lap. "I'm sure they'll have the hunter after me." He took the silver dagger and tossed it as hard as he could, then sat back on his idling motorcycle. Looking back at the two as he placed his goggles back on, he grinned. "I'm keepin' the guns, though."

He floored Fenrir, knowing the jeep could never catch up when he went at max speeds. A small laugh left him as he flew into Edge. Those two would never have a chance.

* * *

"You know, Cloud...You're hard to shop for sometimes," Tifa said as she turned towards the dresser while Cloud sat on the bed, leaning back on his hands. He was wearing his usual bed clothing, despite the heat.

"I don't need anything, Teef. The birthday party was a gift enough," he responded; it truly was plenty given by her.

She giggled. "Still...I got you something cute. Maybe you can put it in your office or on your nightstand..." Tifa turned around, holding a little white box. She handed it to Cloud, who tilted his head slightly as he fumbled with the top. He opened it up and tilted the box, letting the contents slip into his other hand gently. Cloud lifted the gift to his gaze, studying it.

It was a statuette of a sitting grey wolf staring off contentedly on a flower covered field, the backdrop a blue sky covered in puffy white clouds. It was a little bit larger than his hand and finely detailed. Cloud smiled, running his finger gently upon it. "I like it."

"It reminded me of you...My Cloudy Wolf." She gave a chuckle, covering her mouth with her hand. Cloud placed the little gift on his nightstand and looked back at Tifa; her red eyes glinted gently in the bedroom's soft light, her skimpy lingerie showing off her shapely body to him. She cocked her head, self conscious from his stare. "Cloud?"

"Cloudy Wolf...Guess I am a wolf, aren't I?" His voice sounded slightly amused, the little pet name growing on him. He looked down, studying the floor and his feet for a moment.

Tifa nodded. "And you're Cloud," she offered.

He looked over her again, lingering on her long legs for a few moments, and then into her soft, ruby eyes. "Hm. That stuff you made was almost like a sweet to me..." He had hunched over slightly with his hands on his knees, almost like a predator watching prey to anyone but the woman in front of him.

She took a step closer, Cloud's eyes glinting momentarily as her movement brought her right in front of him. "Was it?" Tifa appreciated the input.

"Yeah. But...you know, Tifa..." He suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him; he grasped Tifa as she reached his chest and rolled her onto the mattress, propping up his body with his arms as she sunk beneath him. She squeaked in surprise and elation as he did so, making him grin. Cloud put one of his hands under her neck and tilted her mouth as he brought his face down. He kissed her, licking her lips until she opened up to him so he could push his tongue through. She moaned as he explored her mouth and caressed her tongue, and she returned the actions happily. Her hands slowly wrapped themselves into the soft spiky hair on the back of his head. He probed her sweet mouth, using his free hand to slowly caress down her face to her neck.

Finally he parted after several minutes, the both of them panting softly. He gave her a lustful, half lidded gaze, her own visage flushing as her long lashes nearly hid those ruby irises that Cloud treasured. "You taste pretty sweet, too," he said in a husky, low voice while moving a hand to her flushed cheek, rubbing it softly with his thumb.

Tifa hummed her pleasure to him. She took her hands away from his head and placed them under his T-shirt, rubbing his powerful chest muscles upward and down. His skin heated up as her fingers danced about and her nails scrapped gently across the pale skin. He sucked in a hiss as he clenched his jaw, pushing his hips into hers, and she shuddered as she closed her eyes from the delightful friction it was causing. He lowered himself towards her sensitive neck and he nibbled it gently, caressing it with his tongue as he went along, mindful of his canines. At the crook of her neck he sucked gently, causing her to moan softly and squirm underneath him; Cloud brought one of his hands to search Tifa's lingerie for a breast to fondle as he sucked harder, causing her to whimper in his ear. He continued to grind against her, his growing arousal rubbing against Tifa's core.

"Ah..." She took her hands to his back, and grazed it with her nails as she dug in, making him groan softly as she slid her fingers down his spine, and a level of control slipped as the mild pain nipped through his skin. Cloud kissed her neck fiercely and slowly made his way toward her sternum and then her chest; he fumbled with the front of her lingerie with a hand, finally removing the fabric covering her chest, and held her breast as it finally bounced out. He placed his mouth over her nipple and sucked while lapping his tongue over the sensitive tip, the action getting a moan out of Tifa and for her to tear her nails up his back; he ground into her hips harder now, slowly losing his mind to the sensations and the soft sounds his lover made. He groaned as she scratched him, and in return he gently twisted her other nipple to be rewarded with a louder moan and Tifa's body shuddering beneath him.

Cloud returned to her face, Tifa flush and breathing heavily. She tugged at his T-shirt, and he got the hint immediately, taking off the article of clothing quickly. Tifa ran her hands on the back of his head, feeling the soft spikes, then lowered him to her mouth again, feeling his searing hot skin on her exposed bosom as he rested on top of her. Tifa brought her hips up to Cloud's as he continued grinding, feeling his hard arousal; he groaned into her mouth as she did so, and he brought his hand gently down towards his hips, awkwardly slipping off his pajama bottoms. He kicked them off as soon as he moved them past his knees, then pressed against her again, making her whisper a moan as he sucked on her lower lip.

He loved hearing her sexy moans, a special pleasure all for him. It excited him and sent chills down his spine, just like her scent did when she was like this; he removed his lips from hers and went to remove the rest of her skimpy outfit, making her mewl his name. They both shifted, Tifa separating her legs further and Cloud positioning himself as he sat on his knees. He looked her over with lust filled feral eyes, softly trailing a hand from Tifa's hip to her folds and slowly moved his fingers over her sensitive nub, the other hand admiring her creamy, smooth thigh as he rubbed it sensually. She bit her lip as he did so, lulling her head to the side as her dark hair framed her face and splayed over the pillows. Cloud observed the look on her face, full of erotic pleasure. Tifa was softly whispering his name while pushing her hips up rhythmically.

She was breathing harder now, softly whimpering as he played with her. Cloud was pushing softly against her with his aching arousal, then slowly buried himself in her as he groaned from the sensation; Tifa moved her hips up again, moving them to the sides and causing him to clench his jaw and growl lowly. He brought his hands near Tifa's head, careful of her locks, and grasped the blanket beneath her as he slowly set up the tempo. His strokes became faster and stronger, his eyes glazing over as he fanned hot breaths into Tifa's ear. Her excited breathing urged him on as it whispered into his own ear before she tongued his wolf stud.

Tifa wrapped her legs around her lover's hips tightly, bringing them up to meet a stroke here and there, his soft curses as the movement hit a sweet spot falling out of his mouth. Cloud began to feel her clench down on him, her nails digging hard into his back as she quickly gasped her breaths. He gave a soft growl at the pinpricks of pain, and continued his powerful thrusts into her as the scratches egged him on. Her breasts bounced about from it, grazing his searing, sweaty chest with hard, cool nipples. Tifa clenched down hard, and Cloud went to cover her mouth with his own as she let out a wail in an attempt to keep the noise down; some conscious part of him still remembered there were others in the house asleep as he darted his tongue in.

As Tifa quieted down her clenching didn't quite let up, assisting Cloud as he went over the edge. He brought himself to stand on his knees again, and lifted her hips as he quickly thrust deep and hard into her, his face a mess of concentration and flushed bliss. He raised his head up slowly as he panted heavily, and after several more strokes a violent, powerful shudder went down his spine that caused him to groan lowly and clench her hips hard, pushing himself as far as he could into her.

After one last quivering thrust he gently fell on her, still propping himself with his elbows and his ear on her shoulder as he breathed heavily, listing to her quick heartbeat. Tifa released her legs' vice grip on his hips while humming softly and tracing shapes along her lover's back lazily. After a few moments he went to kiss her cheek, glancing his fingers on the other. She rubbed the back of his head, causing him to contentedly sigh and close his eyes as the sensation ran over his scalp.

Tifa giggled. "Happy Birthday, Cloud."


	31. Fun and Gloom

The week after Cloud's birthday had been peaceful, with the exception of another werewolf slaughtered by he and Barret in Sector Two. Cloud had sniffed out the challenger in some old, unused sewer, and after a small skirmish in the narrow tunnel he had dodged several of its attacks before giving Barret an opening to shoot it. As much as Cloud had wanted to go after more, he knew Barret couldn't see as well as him, and he himself had yet to grow comfortable with the rank metallic scent clinging to the air of the sewer.

Later on that week Barret had departed yet again for Junon, giving a teary goodbye hug to his daughter before he left and demanding Cloud keep her safe from any of the other werewolves that prowled the city. Of course, Penny was the exception when she happened to be in Edge.

As Cloud busied himself working on Fenrir, he fell deep into thought. During his short journey with Penny they small talked, and he had asked her how much of her time she went about as a wolf out of curiosity. Cloud's eyes had widened under his goggles when she had said roughly a quarter to half a day or more as a beast, depending on the season or for whatever reason. Here he was, rarely ever fully changing unless he had to.

He had felt a tiny twang of jealousy.

 _'The more you change, the more your brain seems to sync with it all! Or, that's what it felt like to me.'_ That was what Penny had said. She went from dull, simple thinking he himself was starting to finally grow out of, to something slightly different than her usual self; instincts were still there, but hell, humans had them too, Cloud thought. He cranked a bolt as he continued to ponder, wondering when he should play around as a beast again. Maybe he could take a nap or something as a big bad wolf, as Marlene and Denzel liked to call him as a joke. Maybe tonight, he thought...There just wasn't that much he could do in the city that wouldn't spell trouble for himself or others.

Cloud heard footsteps approach the door as he sat himself up, wiping grease off of his fingers. Just as his ears predicted, it was Denzel, the boy opening the door and giving Cloud a welcoming smile as he came into the garage and closed the door behind him. He walked over to his hero, then sat next to him on the floor.

"Hey, Denzel. What're you up to?" Cloud asked, wiping at his palm.

Denzel shrugged. "I was gonna watch you work on Fenrir, but I guess I'm a little late..."

Cloud nodded. "Just finished." He smiled lightly. "Did you wanna do something?"

"It's still too hot outside to do anything. Could you practice with me, in here?" Denzel held a hopeful expression.

Cloud stood up and helped Denzel up with a hand. "If you want. It's too hot to go after werewolves out there, anyway."

Denzel nodded with a happy grin and went for the practice stave and sword, then jogged back and handed the sword to Cloud. They both went over to the open space on the far side of the garage, and Cloud looked up and smiled at the framed painting he had placed on the wall nearby that the children had made for him. He looked back down towards Denzel, the boy preparing his stance for the sparring session to come.

"You've been getting pretty good at this," Cloud said as he went to softly jab at Denzel's chest. The wooden blade was deflected by the side of the rod, then Denzel twirled his weapon to use the other end; Cloud dodged as it went to poke his belly with a growing grin on his face. He brought the wooden sword down again, this time towards Denzel's other shoulder. Denzel was grazed but he pushed it back, and he tried to walk towards Cloud to do an actual attack. His mentor pushed closer in the subtle game of chicken, whacking the middle of the stick hard enough to drop it a few inches, then gently prodded Denzel's chest.

"...You died." Cloud wasn't trying to hide his amusement.

"Man..." Denzel prepared himself again, and they went at it; Cloud kept a restrained tempo that was enough to challenge the boy and allow a few hits in here and there to give Denzel a sense of accomplishment. They sparred like this for the better part of an hour. In the end Cloud had tried to show Denzel how to take an opponent off their feet with the stick.

"I know I don't know much about rods, but you can do this with a sword, too." He showed him how to angle the end of his stick when it was wedged between the legs, and the force needed to trip an opponent. Cloud let Denzel try it on him, and after a few attempts he finally managed to properly trip his mentor, a big smile forming on both of their faces as they crashed down to the floor.

"That was good. It'll be a lot more difficult against a monster or a werewolf though...Well, a standing werewolf has a different balance. I think you're better off swiping the ankle, but I can't be too sure." Cloud scratched his chin as he tried to remember what his balance felt like changed as he sat on the ground, while Denzel looked up at him with a mischievous look. Cloud brought his eyes down to the child and raised a brow, unsure what he wanted.

"We could try it out," Denzel offered.

Cloud balked. "What? No way!"

"I know you're embarrassed, but you want me to be prepared, right?" Denzel prodded.

Cloud swallowed and darted his eyes about. "Yeah, but..." It would give him a chance to let loose in a fashion, he reasoned. It was still embarrassing, like he wasn't supposed to show anyone that. Even if Denzel and Marlene had seen him and had been completely nonplussed, he was still easing himself into being seen by loved ones like that. As if it could possibly break their bonds. It was a silly worry, he knew, but he couldn't help it.

Denzel giggled. "I don't care what you look like, Cloud. You know that."

Cloud looked around the garage, pondering if he could indulge. "Fine, but...can you leave the garage for a few minutes?" Denzel nodded as he picked himself up, heading for the door and giving a thumbs up before shutting it closed.

Cloud sighed, then stood up. "I guess he's right," he mumbled, stripping off his pants and then his boxers before folding them and placing them on top of Fenrir. Cloud closed his eyes, then let that other shape take over his body, snapping and crunching and growing quickly; he shuddered as the fur grew out on his tough hide. He flexed his digits as they reformed, and shook his head with a grumble as he opened his eyes. Cloud's ears perked up as he heard the sounds of the bar clearer now. Patrons were eating, drinking, laughing. Tifa was talking to someone, and Denzel was tapping his finger against the door as if timing when to open it.

He looked down and softly kicked the practice sword away, not wanting to accidentally stomp on it. A moment later and the door to the bar opened. Denzel came through before shutting it closed. Cloud turned and blinked at the boy, a big grin on the child's face as he studied his furry guardian in the artificial light of the garage as he came closer. The werewolf grumbled gently, watching as Denzel gently handled his paws and touched the smooth claws cautiously. Cloud hoped he would take care.

"Okay, let's try it!" Denzel announced excitedly, picking up his wooden rod and holding it more akin to a baseball bat. Cloud motioned with a claw towards his ankle, then lifted his arms up in a mock attack; he kept them high enough where the points wouldn't come close to Denzel. The brunet gave a huge grin, then sweeped one tip of the rod under Cloud's right foot, then placed another in front of the werewolf's left ankle. Denzel gave it a push, but Cloud didn't budge. He pushed harder, then began to hear huffs coming from his mentor's mouth. "I can do it, Cloud!" he said with a frown.

 _ **'Sure you can...'**_ Cloud squinted his eyes. Denzel's words were starting to make sense now, too. He wondered if he could understand Marlene and Zeph now, too, outside of a few words here and there. He looked down, watching Denzel attempt to unbalance his legs, and let out an amused sigh while shaking his head. Denzel looked up with a pout on his lips; Cloud looked away, his mouth stretching into a grin that flashed his fangs as his chest heaved low grumbling chuckles.

"I-it's not funny..." Denzel pushed again, but Cloud very softly tapped him with the back of his hand on his back, then shook his head as the boy looked up. Cloud didn't want the weapon to break. Getting the point, Denzel backed off, and stood facing the towering beast. "So, now what?"

Cloud wasn't sure, and he shrugged. He sat down on the concrete floor, looking up as he thought and tapping a claw on the ground. His eyes wandered back to Denzel, who was studying him again; he raised a leathery brow as the child continued to observe him before walking behind him. Cloud supposed if he were in Denzel's shoes, he would probably want to study himself, too.

As Cloud continued to ponder, wondering how to safely train Denzel to defend against werewolves without possibly harming himself, he felt little arms around his neck and a weight on his back. He grumbled a query, looking back to eye the young boy draped over his back. Denzel grinned.

"Piggyback ride!" The child chimed, kicking his feet in the air. Cloud groaned as he remembered the boy's hopeful talk of such a thing not that long ago.

When was the last time he did anything close to that? Maybe a year ago, when Denzel wanted to help replace a light bulb in the hallway. Cloud had lifted the boy on his shoulders, telling him which way to unscrew the dead bulb, then taking it and handing him a new one. Not exactly fun, but Denzel was delighted at the time, and begged Cloud to carry him a little while longer. Clearing his mind, he stood on all fours, creeping about as his claws clacked against the concrete and Denzel giggled uncontrollably while leaning on Cloud's furry, powerful back. The werewolf felt a little self-conscious, but also some form of simple, silly fun he hadn't had with Denzel in a long while. It wasn't like he was parading around town like this, he thought.

As he made his wide circle around the garage his ears picked up juvenile footsteps approaching, and he turned around to look at the door as he made the full circle before sitting down to cool off. Zeph came in, oblivious to the two already occupying the large room. After shutting the door he went for his practice sword, seemingly confused as to where the second one was. He turned around to look for it, then froze when he saw what was looking at him from behind Fenrir, panting quietly with Denzel hanging off of it. His mind flashed to Valdt until reason took over; this was Cloud, not Valdt.

"Hey, Zeph!" Denzel waved and wobbled about on Cloud's slightly hunched back. The werewolf gave a whine, a warning to tell him to be careful.

"W-what are you doing?" Zeph squeaked, eyeing Cloud.

"Piggyback ride," he said matter-of-factually.

The blond frowned. "But...why?"

"I was tryin' to trip him with my practice rod, but it didn't work very well. So I got on his back," Denzel said casually. "Cloud, you should go faster!" The werewolf shook his head in response.

Zeph regarded the two. He knew he wasn't in any danger, but he still wasn't used to this part of Cloud just yet. It was still a little too much right now for him. He shook his head, a little more relaxed than before. "I'll be back later, when you two are done." Zeph quickly made his way back towards the door, and after leaving he closed it softly. Cloud and Denzel looked at each other, one upwards and the other downwards.

"I guess he's still a little scared, huh?"

Cloud gave a nod before sighing.

"He's getting better, though!" Denzel chimed happily.

Cloud played the part of a mount for a while longer. Denzel was elated with his time together with his hero, and Cloud found he enjoyed it, too. Finally, the werewolf slumped to a corner of the garage, laying himself down as he panted. Denzel slid off and laid on Cloud's side, zoning out as he looked in Fenrir's direction with his hands together on his belly.

"It must be hard, being a werewolf," Denzel said.

Cloud huffed a little through his nose. Some days could be hard.

Denzel turned his head to look towards his furry guardian. "I'm glad everything turned out okay, Cloud."

The werewolf responded with a nod, then laid his head down on his arm as Denzel rested with him. It wasn't all that bad, he thought. Especially not right now. He looked back at Denzel, who had already nodded off with half of his face hidden behind soft, golden fur. Cloud smiled softly, then decided to take that nap he wanted earlier.

* * *

"Well, the WRO hasn't been of much assistance," Ichi said as he rubbed the back of his head. He and Merle patrolled the plaza, the blond man finally able to work again after several weeks of recovery. Ichi was glad to have his rifle back after everything.

The two had made their way to Junon after their encounter with the reluctant werewolf. After the shenanigans he had pulled on them, Merle was looking to blow the cover off of his den, and Ichi corroborated the story. The head of intelligence blew them off, telling them that there was no possible way a werewolf would be living with a family, then started cackling to herself. Both could understand the reaction when they considered the outlandishness of the story. But Barret, when they finally contacted him after finding out he'd been out of town to watch over his family, had told them awkwardly that the Edge hunter would see to it.

But who was he? The werewolf showed absolutely no fear towards him.

"Neither was the barmaid this afternoon." She would hear nothing from them but their orders. They both had been suspicious of the woman since her so-called husband showed up bare chested at her bar, doubting her story as to why she was in the slums with a child. Merle wasn't sure if she was some stupid broad that thought she could change her bad boy of a werewolf, or if she was one, too. Maybe they were saving the children for later. Then again, she probably would have been out in the Midgar Wastes too, if she were in such cahoots. The peacekeeper leaned towards the former. "Foolish woman."

Ichi shrugged. "We're gonna get killed at this rate." He very much wanted to take the werewolf's offer and forget anything happened, even if he killed Harry. He knew this would be a losing battle; this wasn't a normal werewolf. Glowing eyes meant former Soldier, and a former Soldier that was also a werewolf meant that unless one of them got a lucky first shot in again, they were dead.

Merle looked back, his face showing his displeasure. "Then we get killed killing this stupid mutt."

His friend looked up at him, frowning. "Why did we have to go out there? If we hadn't..."

Merle said nothing. He looked about the plaza, observing civilians for a few moments in the evening's low light. It was turning out to be a usual night of nothing. That's when he noticed a glimmer of light from a piece of shining metal glinting in the distance, and he squinted.

It was that damned werewolf, sauntering off somewhere with several swords on his back and a cat doll of all things sitting on the harness. Maybe he would use it to bait a child, he thought.

"There he is, Ichi. Bastard." He started walking towards him, stalking him the best he could.

"Merle, he's gonna kill us, you know!" Did he not see the swords?

The tall one shook his head. "Can't surprise us this time."

They followed the werewolf distantly, watching as he slowly made his way into the darkening slums of Sector Four. Once, they thought he had caught them when he paused a moment, but then he had started off again in some other direction before Merle could put him in his targets. Sighing, they quietly made their way towards the werewolf's position as he disappeared behind the rusted metal shacks. Finally at his former position, they peeked behind the corner to see where he had gone.

The peacekeepers frowned; the werewolf was no where to be found in the darkness. Pressing forward, they quietly walked through the slums, sometimes seeing a person here and there occupying a shack, though the deeper they went in the fewer people seemed to be around. Ichi's frown deepened.

"D'you think he finds victims here?"

Merle nodded. "No doubt."

Continuing on they made their way into darker alleys, unsure where their quarry was; they turned on their hip lights so they could see something, even if it was only the path ahead. After a few minutes of getting lost they heard some growls nearby, alerting them both to the danger they were potentially in. Both peacekeepers looked about in the claustrophobic gloom, wondering where the sound had come from. Ichi wiped his forehead with his arm as his indigo eyes darted about.

"Merle, this was a stupid idea. This place is perfect for—"

Merle was smashed into a tin shack by a large foot, the thin armor on his back almost giving out under the sharpness of the taloned digits. _**"You're the one hunting us!"**_ The large beast rose up from a crouch, black fur billowing in the shadows as it turned to Ichi, the man aiming his rifle at the monster that snarled at him. His arms were shaking as flashbacks of that night almost a month ago ran through his head. He shot, ripping through a bicep which made the creature sound a screeching howl echoing through the dark slums as flesh sizzled and burned. It flailed its other arm about, and Ichi leapt back.

"Fuck!" He tried another shot but he missed, sparks flying about the panicked darkness as Ichi tried to avoid the claws of his opponent. The werewolf came closer, howling in a rage as it advanced on the peacekeeper; its injured arm stayed limp so far Ichi could see in the gloom and limited light. He was almost fighting blind, with what little light was making it into the area he could make out silhouettes and barely visible claws from his hip light's glow. Desperate, Ichi smacked the monster's hand away from his body as it came down again in an attempt to kill him with the butt of his rifle.

A thud and a surprised growl came to Ichi's ears, and then the sound of metal into flesh and blood rushing out onto the dirt. He took a few steps back, unsure what happened until he looked to the ground to see a wolf head in a growing pool of black blood, illuminated by his hip light. Suddenly, two blue dots stared at him from a shadowy silhouette that seemed to meld onto a black mound as he looked up. The dots disappeared a moment, then came back. A sigh issued from the figure, and Ichi knew immediately who it was.

"Are you two trying to get killed?" came an exasperated voice.

Ichi looked about nervously, his rifle held in front of him. "I was just—"

"He's going to get you killed, Ichi." The peacekeeper flinched as his name was uttered. He didn't know the werewolf's name, but he knew his? The shadowy figure shook his head. "Either me or some other werewolf that's not so forgiving."

Indigo eyes flashed with anger. "F-Forgiving? You killed Harry, and who knows how many else you killed besides him!"

The werewolf grunted before moving off of the mound. He moved Ichi's rifle so it wouldn't be aimed at him any longer; he was partly illuminated now. "I killed him because you were hunting me. You, and your friend Harry shot me that night, and you think I shouldn't have attacked?" The shadowy form looked back towards Merle, then back to Ichi. "Well?"

Ichi looked down, knowing the answer despite it being so unfair. Why the hell was a monster lecturing him, anyway? "...You eat people. You don't think we have a reason to hunt you?" He looked back up into the glowing blue dots, their neutral glow almost angry now.

"Eat people...You still think that?" The werewolf walked towards Merle's position. Ichi was unsure what he was up to; he aimed his gun again but held steady considering the silhouette blended in with the darkness now, and he didn't want to shoot his friend. A splash of feathery red and gold light shimmered in the darkness and Ichi heard Merle groan. The aberration had used a Phoenix Down! The werewolf walked back up to the uninjured peacekeeper, using a powerful hand to move his gun to point towards the ground.

"It didn't infect him. Just stop while you're ahead, or you're gonna end up dead." The werewolf disappeared after a swift noise came to Ichi's ear, leaving him alone with his groaning friend. He rushed to Merle, almost tripping over him in the process. leaning over, he patted the barely conscious man's cheek.

"Merle! Hey! Stay up, man..."

Merle groaned, then opened his eyes. "...Did you get it?"

Ichi let out a pathetic laugh. "No. The one we followed got it."

Merle was silent, the man's pride broken again and his friend's killer still alive. He hissed out a long sigh. "...At least another one's dead. Not the one I want, but..."

The peacekeeper's friend helped him up slowly, then assisted him out of the alley and back the way they came as best he could. Ichi knew if he just went east they'd reach the city proper no matter what. "I really don't know why he didn't let that thing finish us."

Merle thought to himself as they trundled down the dirt path in the dark. "Who knows. Maybe it thinks an act of mercy is a good trade." He thought some more, wincing as he moved strained muscles. "That wolf doesn't seem to have any worry about the WRO..."

Ichi's eyes looked about as he frowned. "He talked fondly of the hunter and said we'd already been to his station."

"Barret didn't give out the place, either. Or a name." Merle frowned. "Ichi, how did he kill the other werewolf?"

Ichi squinted his eyes. "He jumped on top and decapitated it..." He looked towards his friend. "...You don't think..."

"The president's friend...?" Merle was baffled at the possible conclusion.

* * *

"Yeh sure showed that beasty!" Cait Sith cheered as he held onto First Tsurugi. Cloud leaped over the shanties' rooftops, heading home. He grunted in response as he focused on his jumps.

"...I don't know why that guy won't take a hint."

The robotic cat shook its head. "What a tricky situation. I don't know how ye'll resolve it, 'cause he's oot for blood!"

With one last jump the warrior softly landed on the ground then began walking towards Edge. "I guess reassignment wouldn't work?"

"No, they both live here with their families. Sorry, Cloud," Cait Sith squeaked, Reeve obviously the one dictating the words that time and not the AI.

Cloud clenched his gloved hands, making the leather squeak. "Damn it." Things were easier when he knew less. "I guess your lecture to Barret years ago is hittin' me now." He paused in his travels, wanting to clear his mind. He leaned against a building and took in a deep breath, then let it out through his nose.

The cat chuckled. "I suppose so. This is a little different, I would think."

"Yeah. I regret it happened, but..." He looked down.

"You aren't the only one making choices."

Cloud nodded before continuing on. "It sure feels like mine have the most weight attached to them, though."

Walking into the plaza after many minutes of silence, Cloud made his way towards home as stars twinkled in the darkness. He wiped his brow of sweat, the night cooler than the day, but still somewhat oppressive. He looked about as he made his way towards his neighborhood, hoping he kept the place a little bit safer after killing another werewolf.

He walked down the dark street, looking at the stars during his stroll home; stars always reminded him of Tifa. The water tower, under the Highwind, the ring he gave her...Cloud let out a wistful sigh, continuing on with his quiet walk. He wondered if the two peacekeepers had found their way out of the slums, or if Merle would ever give up his desire to kill him. He wondered if Merle thought killing him would make his family feel safer, and he concluded on some level it would, though revenge was probably at the forefront. He came to Seventh Heaven a few minutes later, happy to finally be home.

After entering the bar, Cloud quietly walked towards the counter after locking the door. He assumed Tifa was in the shower considering the hour and noise from upstairs. As he came through the other side he was immediately smashed into by a somewhat upset Marlene. The girl pouted at him, and he cocked his head, wondering what the trouble was. "...Everything okay, Marlene?"

She stomped her foot. "I wanna play, too!"

He blinked, confused. "Huh?"

"Denzel told me after dinner that he got to piggyback with you! I wanna piggyback, too!" Her voice was firm on the matter.

"...Oh." He let out a sigh. He should have figured it would come up eventually. "Not tonight, Marlene." He supposed he had opened the floodgates this afternoon.

Marlene gave her saddest pout. "Tomorrow...?"

Cloud snorted, then picked the girl up, giving her a pat on the back. "...I guess so...fine," he said reluctantly. He climbed the stairs as he talked, while Marlene looked at him. "I was more worried you wanted me to do another tea party."

The little girl giggled. "We can do that too! Or play stories! I'll be Little Red Riding Hood and you'll be the Big Bad Wolf!" She had a large grin on her face.

Cloud chuckled. "What if I wanna be Little Red Riding Hood?" he joked as he opened the door to the children's room.

"Cloud!" Marlene was laughing, and Cloud was giving her a goofy smile as he placed her on her bed. Denzel raised a brow as he and Zeph read a comic on his bed. Cloud took Cait Sith off of his back and placed it next to her pillow, the girl always enjoying the company of the robotic animal whenever it came by. Cloud tucked Marlene in, and he assured her again they could play tomorrow if she really wanted to.

Cloud looked back at Denzel and Zeph, the latter hopping off the bed and waiting by the door; Denzel put away his comic book and scrambled under the covers as Cloud sat next to him gingerly to say goodnight.

Denzel gave him a huge grin. "I had a lot of fun this afternoon!"

Cloud blushed, but gave a half smile. "...I think I did too," he mumbled.

"We should totally do that when we go camping!"

Zeph let out a disapproving grunt, and Cloud looked back at him sympathetically. He looked towards Denzel again, and ruffled his hair before rising again. "We'll see." He moved towards the door, and reached out for Zeph's waiting hand. He turned back a moment, flicking the light switch and saying goodnight.

Zeph looked up at Cloud as he led him to his bedroom. "You aren't really gonna do that in the woods, are you?"

Cloud shrugged. "Maybe." He looked down and raised a brow. "Come on, now. You know I wouldn't hurt you." They entered the bedroom, the room warmly lit from the wall lamp.

Zeph sat on his bed, giving a nod. "I know. You still...look scary, though." He blushed as he settled beneath the covers.

Cloud crouched by the bed, giving a chuckle. "Am I? I was beginning to think I was as cute as a poodle." The boy grinned at the remark, laughing with the warrior. Cloud ruffled his hair before standing up to leave. "Goodnight, Zeph." He turned off the light and closed the door. He headed towards the master bedroom where Tifa was reading on the bed, he was ready for a shower and his pillow.

* * *

"...I'm home." Merle's voice was tired. He shuffled his aching body into his home that resided several blocks away from the werewolf's den. The realization of his proximity to it had gotten him to purchasing silver items for the house for when he was gone. Footsteps jogged towards him from the darkness of a bedroom, and a girl of about twelve came to greet the peacekeeper, her short auburn hair lining the edges of her face.

"Uncle Merle! How was your shift?" She frowned as she noticed his dirty uniform and scraped up face.

He gave her a small, if defeated, smile. "It could have been worse, Rosa." Walking into the living room, the back of his uniform showed damage from claws. Rosa gasped, her hazel eyes widening at the sight. Merle turned his head, shaking it. "I'm okay. It's dead."

"Did you and Ichi get the one that killed Harry?" She knew Merle was out for that particular one, and she hoped he got it, too.

Merle sighed heavily, turning away. "...No. He killed the one that attacked me." He wondered if it wanted to rub it in.

Rosa cocked her head. "Why would a werewolf do that?"

He shrugged, walking off towards his bedroom. "Can't be sure with him." It lives with a family, and was obviously protected by the WRO, but why, he thought? What kind of deal did he strike with the leader of the WRO where he could live with impunity in the city? Merle stripped off his damaged suit after shutting the door, and went to take a shower in the bathroom connected to his bedroom to wash away the grime and shame.

The girl went to her bedroom and turned on the light, the little room cluttered with her things that had hastily been brought to her uncle's home in June, when he was identified as the next of kin to Rosa. She looked over her silver spear, the shaft mythril and wrapped in soft leather, the blade gleaming polished metal. When she came to live with Merle he, Ichi and Harry had pitched in to get Rosa a nice weapon to help her feel safe as monsters masquerading as humans roamed the city.

Rosa thought back to her day, meeting Vits yet again as he wandered towards her neighborhood. He told her that he'd been getting better at using his sword with the help of a neighbor near his home, and he showed her his technique. He said that one of the neighbor children had said it had saved him from a werewolf attack.

She had gasped. _"What was he doing there?"_

Vits had shrugged. _"He said he got lost, and Cloud n' Tifa had to save him and Marlene."_

Rosa had shook her head, both because of the boy's escapades and her ignorance of who those names belonged to. "Zeph should know better." She had been in the cell across the room from him when they had been imprisoned, but she hadn't seen him since; she generally stayed in her neighborhood unless Uncle Merle or his two friends were with her.

The boy had just shrugged, unsure. _"Guess living with them, he feels pretty safe."_

 _"Do you think that Cloud guy would train me, too?"_ She barely knew how to use her spear, except to stab with it.

 _"I dunno. You should ask him, but he only really knows swords."_

Rosa had kicked the ground casually. _"A spear is sorta like a sword..."_ She then had looked up at the boy. "I don't know him, it'd be kinda weird to ask..."

Vits had smiled at the thought. _"He's one of the people that saved us that day!"_

She had gasped, then smiled. _"Really? Oh, was he the man with the big sword and the spiky hair?"_

 _"Yeah! He's really nice when you get to know him. Tifa was there, too. They took Zeph in."_

 _"So he went with them..."_ she had murmured.

Vits had scratched his mop of brown hair. _"Where'd you go?"_

Rosa had looked down. _"...Valdt..."_ She had fidgeted with her fingers. _"I live with my uncle now."_ Looking up now, Vits had noticed her hazel eyes were watery.

 _"Sorry, Rosa."_ He had given her an apologetic look.

 _"It's okay, Vits! I'll ask my uncle if I can go. Maybe we can train together!"_ Vits had happily shaken his head at the possibility.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Rosa pondered if she should go to Zeph's place to train and play. She sometimes felt lonely, but it wasn't as if the neighborhood children didn't play with her. She wanted a connection with other survivors from that hell, that sick bond that was formed when Valdt wasn't tormenting them and they might whisper to each other. Plus, she wanted to make sure Zeph was really alright. She heard Merle leave his room, and a few moments later he appeared in her doorway, nodding as she her examined her weapon.

"Uncle Merle, I was talking to a friend from the sewer today..."

He raised his brow. "Really? Is he doing alright?"

Rosa nodded cheerfully. "Yeah, and another one lives near him, too. They both get trained to use their weapons, so they're safer from werewolves...I'm wondering if I can go, too."

"I mean, if it'd help you when you needed it. We can go tomorrow and ask if you can train." If it kept her safe from werewolves, especially with that spiky haired devil about, it was all good to him.

The girl put her spear away, and then laid down on her bed with a frown on her face as she thought. Merle came to sit by the edge of her bed, putting a hand over hers and patting it. She looked up at him, sadness in her eyes. "We lost a lot this summer, didn't we?"

He looked down, averting his eyes. "Yeah. I miss your parents, too. And Harry." Merle looked back up, his stare determined. "But I'm not givin' up."

Rosa nodded though her frown didn't leave her face. "How come the one that killed Harry is so hard to get, Uncle Merle?"

Merle scowled, thinking about the damnable werewolf that was seemingly attempting to put the peacekeeper into his debt. "Just wily, more in control than others I suppose. Maybe it's 'cause he has to keep up appearances while in the city, I can't tell for sure."

"He must be a real baddie."

The man gave a chuckle. "He thinks he is, but one of these days I'll show him he isn't so tough." He gave his niece an appraising look. "We'll go tomorrow afternoon, before dinner. I gotta cover the morning shift, then Ichi and I can take you out."

Rosa clambered under the covers and then nodded, excited to know some basic techniques with her spear.

"We'll get him, Uncle Merle."


	32. Lost in the Darkness

_**'What was I thinking...'**_ Uncontrollable giggles rippled through his furry ears as he let out a pitiful whine, Marlene having had her way with the large, furry beast. Cloud looked up at Tifa sadly as she bit her lip in a futile attempt at stifling her laughter, Zeph and Denzel looking away and heaving silent giggles as they held each other's backs. Marlene hugged his furry neck, cheek smushed against the side of his burning face.

"Isn't he cute?" She chimed. Tifa completely lost it, tears in her eyes as she held her stomach, heaving laughter.

Cait Sith covered his mouth with his oversized, gloved hands. "Ye made him look like a sweet lil' princess, lassy!" Cloud pushed the robot off his chair with the flick of a claw. The cat merely laughed as it rolled on the ground, and he couldn't tell if it was the AI, Reeve, or both at the same time.

Cloud was covered in little reddish pink bows that the little girl had tied gently onto the werewolf's spiky fur and crowned him with her special tiara, while he sat at the little play table next to a teddy bear and Cait Sith on his other side, teacups out for all of them. He had promised to play with her today, and they had played; first she wanted piggyback rides, which he delivered on in the hallway, going back and forth as she squealed in delight at the ride. But then, she took him into her bedroom; Cloud thought it would only be a little tea party like she usually did, but instead did unthinkable things to the proud warrior after he gently sat down at the play table.

Like put countless bows on him and a sparkling tiara. He thought he could handle it, that he could slip into the master bedroom and erase the evidence; but then the boys had wandered into the room, talking about a missing toy. Zeph had eyed him, then slowly started to laugh as he looked into Cloud's pathetic eyes, and then Denzel joined in too.

Tifa had come up the stairs to see what the noise was all about, and here he was, in all his pathetic, sparkling glory while sitting at a tea party full of stuffed animals.

He whined again. _**'So much for being a big bad wolf...'**_ Tifa came up to him as her cheeks glistened from her tears, rubbing the fur on the side of his head.

"...He's absolutely adorable, Marlene." The woman quivered out. The boys were laughing uncontrollably now as Cloud pouted into the woman's eyes.

Marlene hugged his arm. "You should do this more often, Cloud!" He shook his head with a groan, sending the entire group with the exception of Marlene into another fit of laughter.

"It's a good look for you..." Denzel said as he heaved giggles on his bed, Zeph nodding next to him.

 _ **'I think I've had enough of this...'**_ Cloud slowly got up, grumbling, and walked out of the room after ducking under the doorway and towards the relative safety of his bedroom, shutting the door behind him; it gave only privacy, but no protection against the laughter. He tried shaking off the bows, getting some of them off at the very least. Grumbling again, he looked about his body, removing bows slowly with his claws where he could.

Tifa entered the room, finally done laughing but still sniffling and wiping away tears. Cloud looked back at her with a pout, then eyed some more ribbons still stuck to him. She came up with a big smile, taking the tiara off his head and placing it on the bed. "You always looked good in a tiara, you know..." Tifa bit her lip, reminding them both of the time he cross dressed in an attempt to save her from Don Corneo.

He whined, and the woman giggled again as she removed the last of the ribbons from his back. Rubbing his head and then glancing at his chest to make sure all the ribbons were gone, Tifa looked back into his eyes. "I have to go back down to the bar now. Have fun training the boys later!" She gave him a kiss on his forehead, then left the room, closing the door. Cloud grumbled a hum, looking at the discarded ribbons all about him that he'd have to clean up.

Quickly shifting back, he went to collect the items off the floor and placed them on the bed, next to his clothing. He adjusted his necklace, then got dressed; he left his apron and pauldron off, not needing them just yet today. Cloud looked towards the closed door and at his image in the mirror, his face pink. He looked away, focusing on zipping up his shirt and putting on his gloves. He eyed the tiara, having thought he'd never wear one again, but he supposed with a girl like Marlene around it had been bound to happen again; a small grin appeared on his face, he was making up for lost time.

When he was done he left the room, then re-entered the children's room. Denzel and Zeph looked up at him from their search for whatever it is they wanted, then looked back down with big grins on their faces. Marlene came up to the warrior to give him a big hug while holding Cait Sith, beaming at him. Cloud patted the girl's head, giving her a lazy half smile. "Maybe next time, not so many ribbons, Marlene."

The boys stifled their giggles behind him.

"Sorry, Cloud. But it was a lot of fun playing with you!" The little girl said.

He nodded at her. "Thanks, Marlene." Cloud looked back at the boys. "Hey, Vits is gonna come over in about an hour for practice. If you need me, I'm gonna set some targets up in the alleyway." The sun was beginning to lower a little, making the alley behind the bar shady and cooler. He made his way out of the room and down the stairs, towards the garage. The boys looked at each other, still smiling.

"He's not so scary when he wears a princess tiara." Zeph said wryly. Denzel nodded with a big grin, continuing his search for the little race car.

* * *

Rosa was flanked on both sides by her uncle Merle and Ichi, the girl guiding them to Vits' address as best she could from the boy's directions with her spear in her hand; it was in contrast to her flowery magenta shirt and yellow shorts. The two adults frowned, knowing the street well; that werewolf lived here. They wondered if it was safe, neither having their WRO uniforms nor their weapons; the spiky haired werewolf had stolen their private handguns after putting them to sleep in the middle of nowhere before driving off with a young victim.

Merle scowled at the memory. Another person he couldn't save...

Both felt a little exposed if only admitting it in their minds. All they had were the shirts on their backs and the jeans on their legs, neither acceptable gear in case of a werewolf attack. Much more comfortable in the waning heat of the mid-afternoon, however. As it was still broad daylight, the chances of anything happening was low, regardless if that werewolf lived here or not. _'Brash, not stupid...'_ Merle mused in his head, rubbing his square chin.

"Rosa! You made it!" said a boyish voice. The three looked in front of them, a young boy with brown hair and a green shirt was waving at them with a smile. A man stood next to him, with black hair and piercing light blue eyes; he was a lanky young man wearing a casual button up T-shirt and long shorts. The man had a hand on the boy's shoulder, giving an inviting nod to the three. Ichi and Merle swore there was something familiar about the man's eyes and angular features, from before Meteorfall...

Rosa waved, jogging up to the boy. "Hey, Vits!" She gave him a smile, then looked at the man next to her friend with uncertainly.

"That's Evan. We're a family." He said proudly. The man looked down at Rosa, giving her a smile and a small wave.

"Nice to meet you, Rosa."

Merle came up then with his friend. "Nice to meet you both, too!" He said smiling. He pointed at his friend and then himself. "This is Ichi, and I'm Merle."

Evan offered his hand to both of them in turn. "Evan Townshend, detective."

Ichi raised his brows. "Detective? Wait, were you one of the ones that was on that case a couple months back?"

The detective's face turned pink. "Y-yeah. Pretty crazy goings-on, huh?"

"Indeed it was." Merle said grimly.

The three continued to talk, Vits and Rosa turning away from the boring adult chatter. The boy took a few steps forward, and looked back at the girl. "Wanna head over? They're just gonna talk about boring stuff." She nodded, walking with Vits cautiously.

"Uncle Merle said a werewolf lives around this neighborhood. Are you sure it's okay to be walking around like this?" She looked this way and that way for any threats, but was only met with pedestrian traffic. Children were easy to snatch, even with guardians...

Vits nodded. "Cloud lives here. The last time a werewolf showed up and caused trouble, he went looking for it and found all of us."

The girl gave a little sigh. "If you say so..." Vits held her hand, guiding her to the nearby alleyway behind the Seventh Heaven bar; Rosa looked about at the neighborhood she hadn't ever stepped foot in before, the street surrounded by a mess of buildings put together with Midgar scrap. An angel statue beamed at them from a nearby perch before they disappeared into the alley, a relief from the late afternoon sun.

"Hey, Vits...Rosa?" The blonde haired boy's almond shaped, green eyes widened as he recognized the girl, having not seen her in two months' time. She charged up to him and gave him a big hug, laughing; he returned the gesture happily.

"Yeah! Oh, Zeph...You look a lot better." Rosa looked him up and down, the child no longer as scrawny as he had been in that dungeon. She noticed he had a sword on his side, and he gave her a proud look. "Vits said you had to fight a werewolf."

He gave her a shy smile. "Cloud finished it off, though..." Zeph paused a moment, looking at the girl's spear. "Oh, you want to train with us? Cloud's in the garage if you wanna talk to him." He pointed at the open garage door, some movement from beyond it.

Vits and Rosa nodded, the boy taking her hand again. "Yeah, you need to meet him!" He tugged her towards the garage, the cool air from a fan hitting her as she entered; the spiky, golden haired man that was moving a target about was already looking towards them with a cocked head, looking from Vits to Rosa.

"Hey, Vits..." His inquisitive blue eyes that were partially covered in spiky bangs went to the girl, silently beseeching her name with a small frown.

Rosa's hazel eyes widened. "Oh! I, um, I'm Rosa. Um, V-Vits said you train kids..." _'He looks like someone Merle described...Who was it?'_ "...You saved me and the others back in June!" She gave a smile.

The man blinked, then walked up to her, still frowning as if something was confusing him, as if something wasn't clicking. "Hi, Rosa...My name's Cloud." He bent down, and looked her in the eyes. "I'm sorry if I don't remember you all that well, but I'm glad you're doing fine." He gave her a reassuring smile, then looked at the weapon she held in her hand. "I can give you some basic training...I'm into swords and not much else, sorry."

She nodded. "It's better than not knowing anything at all, right? Because I don't know how to use this at all." Rosa picked the weapon up in both hands, her brows knotted together.

Cloud gave her a small smile and nodded. "Yeah." Looking out the big open door of the garage, he frowned and then looked back at them both. "Where's Evan, and Rosa, do you have a guardian with you?"

Vits spoke up. "They were talkin' about boring stuff so we just came here."

The swordsman chuckled. "I guess Evan can lead the way, then." Cloud stood up, taking the girl's hand in his own. "Alright, I guess I'll start you off with a defensive stance..." He lead the girl outside after collecting the dummy he was shifting around, giving her pointers before showing her with his own weapons after putting the practice target down in its intended spot. "You wanna hold your feet like this, so it's harder to lose your balance..."

* * *

"You think you could do another job with werewolves involved, Evan?" Merle asked.

The detective laughed nervously, shaking his head after talking about his escapade that spring while omitting certain details. "Think I'm done with that, that case was way more trouble than it was worth. Not that I'm unhappy with the results, of course."

Ichi nodded. "Still, it might save more people." He lowered his voice. "There's a werewolf on this very street, you wanna keep your kid safe, right?"

Evan's face went pale and he chewed on the side of his lip. "Uh, you don't say..."

Merle looked about with a frown. "Where did the children go?"

"Oh, Vits probably took her to the alley he trains in." The detective said dismissively.

"Where's that?" Ichi asked.

Evan pointed towards a very familiar bar, making Merle and Ichi's blood run cold. "Behind Seventh Heaven." He started to walk there, but the duo he spoke to ran towards their destination in a desperate fashion; Evan raised a brow, sighing. "It's not like he's gonna eat them or anything..." He mumbled. Between these two and the turks keeping up with him, Evan felt he was going to be busy this fall, perhaps.

Merle charged towards the bar and the alley behind it, damning himself for letting Rosa out of his sight. "Shit! That stupid mutt could kidnap her and..." He was sure the werewolf could sniff out the relations from her scent. Merle felt at that moment that he couldn't do anything right.

Ichi wasn't too far behind, pushing his legs harder to meet Merle. "It hasn't been that long, maybe he hadn't noticed her yet..." He said to encourage his friend.

They both turned into the alley, leaving Evan far behind as the man sauntered off towards their location. The duo made another turn as they heard young voices, coming across four children attempting to beat up scarecrow-like targets in the shade. One looked over at the sound of the footfalls, then waved. It was Rosa! Merle jogged over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you okay, Rosa?!"

She cocked her head. "Of course I'm okay." The girl pointed towards the open garage, then frowned. "Cloud's teaching us, but..."

The boy next to her paused in his target take down with his rod, moving back his wavy brown hair. "He's gettin' us some water, it's hot outside." He looked shyly at the two men, unsure if to greet them or not, their faces filled with worry. The sound of a door opening and shutting got their attention, and all four looked back, the two adults narrowing their eyes.

"They aren't that cold, sorry..." The spiky haired man looked up, staring at the two men that he had saved just the other night. He sighed, walking through the garage towards the group with his hands full of water bottles. "...Fancy meeting you two here." Cloud said in a dry voice. He handed a bottle to the boy, then one to the girl; Merle snatched her hand, bringing her behind him.

"...Uncle Merle?" She peeked behind him, confused.

He looked down at her. "Not today. Come on." Merle pulled her away hurriedly, the three boys looking back at the man, confused at his reaction. Zeph frowned, becoming upset that someone he hadn't seen in months was being yanked away again; Vits very much in the same boat as she looked at them sadly.

Ichi stayed behind a few moments, looking back at the dumbfounded warrior. "You're the one training the kids?" He asked in a perplexed voice, more to himself than to Cloud.

"Uh, yeah."

"You're the hunter, too..." Ichi mumbled softly, Cloud picking it up easily.

"I am."

The peacekeeper looked into Cloud's eyes, confused. "Why? Why hunt other..."

Cloud sighed. "Does it matter?" He said defensively.

"It might." Ichi jogged off to find his friend, leaving the confused group to continue where they left off as Evan rounded the corner with a brow raised.

"Guess those two weren't so interested in training, after all." He said to the warrior, the man holding a despondent frown.

Cloud tossed him the extra water bottle before giving the rest out to the children. "Guess not."

* * *

"Uncle Merle, he was teaching me how to use my spear! Why are we leaving?" She tugged her hand away, his grip loosening as they exited the alley and headed towards their neighborhood.

The man rubbed his face, trying to calm down. "He's the one that killed Harry." Merle said quietly.

Rosa gasped, looking back towards the bar with a pale face. "But he's the one that freed us, are you sure?" The girl could barely believe it.

He looked down at her, his brows knotted together. "Yeah. Maybe Valdt got him or something, I don't know." To Merle, the werewolf was a frustrating walking contradiction. A hero turned into a monster? A sad end, he had to admit to himself.

"Zeph lives with him...How terrible...But he was nice to me..." The girl wanted to go back to her friend, the Full Moon almost upon the city; she knew what the boy had gone through.

Merle raised a brow. "...Zeph?"

Rosa nodded. "He was the blonde boy training with us. I met him when Valdt took me to his dungeon." She paused a moment, looking away. "Cloud took him in." She said lowly.

 _'Is he saving him for later?'_ He kicked a pebble down the road, unsure what the hell was going on. Nothing made sense. Merle sighed. "That werewolf is already enough trouble as it is."

"I should go back and get him." She said, her brows knotted with concern.

Merle shook his head. "No! I'm not losing you to Cloud." He could use her as bait if he got ahold of her...

Rosa still felt in some sort of denial, the man that quietly spoke to her was the same as the werewolf that killed Harry? It was a surreal thought. _'Maybe that's how werewolves work...'_

"H-hey! Wait for me!" Ichi came up to them as they turned around to greet him, the blonde man out of breath. Merle put a hand on his hip, frowning at the gasping man.

"What took you so long, man?" He looked his friend up and down, relieved he wasn't beat up at the very least.

Ichi took a few more gasps. "He's the hunter. He admitted it."

They started walking again after Ichi caught his breath, Merle looking this way and that. "Then what to do..."

"You should have been more honest with why you wanted to go out that night..." Ichi mumbled.

The tall peacekeeper shook his head. "I want them dead, so they can't hurt anyone else like Valdt did to..." It was a thrill, a thrill to think them all dead.

Rosa didn't listen to the adults and their discussion but held her spear tight, thinking about Zeph. She wanted to see him again, and planned on visiting as soon as she could find a proper time to do so; her uncle couldn't find out she was near a werewolf's den, especially a werewolf that might have a vendetta against him and use her to hurt him.

Merle heaved out a sigh. "Just stay away from that street, Rosa. It's not safe there."

* * *

The girl walked down the street, remembering her way back to the bar. It had been several days since her fated meeting with the boy she whispered to in the dungeon, the Full Moon that very night. Rosa's uncle was out on patrol this afternoon and through midnight, away from both her and Zeph's neighborhoods; it was the perfect time to find him.

Rosa could tell Ichi wasn't interested in revenge as much as her uncle was, and she really couldn't blame him; if her uncle was correct Cloud would be almost impossible to pin down. She wondered if it was Valdt who turned Cloud during their battle, and if that night Uncle Merle spoke of when Harry was killed was the swordsman's first night like that. Did he try to keep away from everyone? _'He's one of those things now, so I guess it doesn't matter...but...Does Zeph know what he's living with now?'_ She had to get him, she had to save her friend.

Finally she reached the street, the sky darkening overhead as she passed by groups of people here and there. Rosa looked up, searching for the sign to the bar Zeph lived at. Some were just residences, and others were both living spaces and shops or cafes; they were winding down for the evening, people getting their dinner or a cup of espresso before heading home

Eventually she found Seventh Heaven next to a large metal pillar, the building made of wood and white painted scrap that had water stains in the crevasses of the metal. Turning her head, she locked eyes with the pale angel statue guarding the street and said a silent prayer to it, hoping for some grace to save them both tonight from nocturnal aberrations.

Rosa peered at the door, a wooden sign saying it was open hanging on it. She gingerly opened the door, and found herself in a busy bar, clean but with low lighting except by the counter where a dark haired woman was pouring drinks and conversing with customers. She looked towards the open door and waved Rosa in, then went back to another customer vying for her attention. The girl looked about in front of her after taking a few steps forward tentatively.

She yelped as soon as she felt a hand on her shoulder, and Rosa turned back to see Zeph, the boy's green eyes conveying happy surprise that his friend showed up at his home. "Rosa! We thought you weren't gonna come back after that day your uncle dragged you away." The boy was holding onto some used dishes, heading towards the counter to place them on the counter.

"Oh, Zeph...I wanted to see if you would, um, take a walk with me..." She said, following him.

He gave a little laugh and walked past the counter, putting his load in the sink, then came back to Rosa. "Last time I took a walk in the evening I had to fight a werewolf." He still didn't know why they didn't ground him for wandering out so far.

She nodded sadly, Zeph taking a bit of a hint that she needed someone to take her home. "I'm just late getting home, and I don't have my weapon on me..."

The boy scratched the back of his head, his cheeks pink. "Let me ask Tifa, okay? I'll be back." Rosa nodded, Zeph disappearing behind the counter. She heard him and the bartender mumble to each other, then after a few minutes the sound of a door opening and then closing. Zeph appeared, his silver sword at his side. He gave her a shy smile, then nodded. "She wants me to get home as soon as I can, I can't stay out too long."

Rosa nodded worriedly. _'Is he gonna get eaten tonight, is that why?'_ She grabbed the boy's hand, making him blush hard. "W-well, let's go, then!" They walked towards the door, Zeph giving a wave to Tifa before exiting into the warm evening environment beyond. Making their way in the direction of Vits' place, they walked silently a few moments, then Rosa looked towards the boy, shaking her bangs away. "So, um, how is your new home?"

Zeph smiled. "It's great. Sometimes I feel bad for having it, but Cloud and Tifa tell me I shouldn't be."

The girl nodded. "...Cloud seems nice."

"He is, and so is Tifa." The boy frowned. "Say, how come your uncle made you leave so soon?" Cloud never discussed at dinner that night what the trouble was, merely shrugging and continuing on with his meal.

Rosa blushed. "Um, we forgot an important appointment was that day, sorry..." She looked away.

"Hey, what are you two doin' out here?" Vits voice squeaked from the other side of the road, the boy making his way towards them with a smile as they stopped for him. "I didn't think I'd see you down here, Rosa!"

"Hi, Vits! Zeph is taking me home." Her eyes lit up at the boy's arrival.

Zeph nodded. "It's kinda late, though. I gotta get home soon."

Vits put his hands on his hips proudly. "Then I'll help!"

They soon made their way down the road together, as Rosa dictated. They talked of their time apart, if they were going to school, and if they could come up with a place they could all meet up at to stay in touch.

"...I've lived with my uncle since we were rescued, but he's been upset lately..." Rosa said as they meandered through a quiet back street.

Zeph raised a brow as they made another turn. "How come?"

The girl looked down. "A werewolf killed his friend."

The boy swallowed, looking down. Vits grunted at the news. "I bet Cloud'll find it!"

Rosa pressed her index fingers together nervously. "Um, I'm sure..." she said in a demure fashion. She decided to change the subject. "Oh, I think I'll be going to the same school as you are, Zeph."

"Really? This will be my first year at a school. I worked really hard to get up where I need to be for my grade." Zeph said, grinning.

"Maybe we'll all have the same class?" Vits pondered.

Rosa gave a small smile. "I'd like that a lot."

Zeph looked about at the dark crossroads they had approached. "So which way, Rosa?"

She stared at the roads, her memory unsure in the darkness; everything looked different without the sunlight. Rosa began to raise her hand, letting her intuition tell her where to go. "That way!" The trio continued on into the early night, Rosa hoping to get her friends away from the werewolf before he knew what was happening.

* * *

Tifa frowned, Cloud tapping the counter in the empty bar worriedly. She twirled a loose strand of her hair away, wondering what was taking Zeph so long to take his friend home. "How far away could she possibly live? He said she lived nearby..."

"I don't know. It was that girl from the other day, though...I can smell her." Cloud said, returning to his thoughts. Marlene and Denzel had gone to their room to play a game before dinner, but noticed Zeph was missing still; they had offered to check with some of the neighbors, but the adults shook their heads.

A knock on the front door had both adults quickly answer it after snapping out of their thoughts, greeted by a worried Evan. "Hi...Um, I know tonight's...You know..." He shook his head. "Vits is missing. He isn't here, is he?" His bright blue eyes searched for answers.

Cloud and Tifa both raised their brows. "No, he's not here...Zeph isn't back yet, either." Tifa said.

"He's gone, too?" The detective said in a surprised voice.

"I'm sure I can find them, they're probably together." Cloud turned about, quickly making his way through the bar and then going upstairs. Evan watched, and then looked back at Tifa with a frown.

"...Is that safe?" He knew Cloud spent the night in the home once, but the thought was still something he was apprehensive about.

Tifa nodded. "Yeah. We're gonna try and get back before that happens, but..." She gave a shrug.

The detective chuckled nervously. "As long as the kids aren't on the menu."

The woman smiled and shook her head. "None of us are, Evan."

They waited there a few minutes, then Cloud reappeared, wearing his Wutaian robes. Evan raised a brow at the outfit, unsure what to think of it.

Cloud gave a half smile. "It suits me one way or another..."

He looked at the two and nodded, and they left the bar, Denzel in charge of keeping Marlene safe while the adults were gone; Cait Sith said he would watch the front of the bar for any hooligans. The werewolf looked this way and that as he left the bar and walked down the steps, silently sniffing. "This way..."

Tifa and Evan followed Cloud as he walked in front of them, at one point pausing and squinting his eyes in concentration. He looked across the street, noticing they were by Evan's detective agency. "...Vits joined them. They're all together, like I thought." Cloud said as he picked up the scent low to the ground.

Evan scratched the back of his head. "What were they thinking?"

"Zeph was taking that girl home..." Tifa said.

The detective's eyes lit up. "Rosa?" The woman nodded as they began to walk behind Cloud again.

They took a few more footsteps, the warrior leading them towards a dark side road when he looked back, the sound of quick footsteps approaching catching his attention. Kyrie approached the three, looking directly at Evan as she came to a stop on the sidewalk next to them.

"I checked the neighbors down the street, they haven't seen him yet..." She looked towards Cloud and Tifa, then back to Evan. "They're helping us search?" Kyrie looked at Cloud again, his outfit strange to her.

Evan nodded. "Their kid, Zeph, is missing too." He looked down a moment and then inhaled a short breath. "If you want to stay home, I think we got this..." The detective searched his girlfriend's eyes, hoping she would take the offer.

Kyrie scoffed, pushing some of her brown hair out of her face. "So you can get your ass into more trouble again? Nah, I'm comin'."

"The more the merrier," Cloud sardonically mumbled. "Let's continue on..." He walked through the side road, keeping his tracking to himself; he could tell how old the trail was now, several hours... _'I should have gone out to find them a while ago...'_ But, things had to be fixed in the house, and Tifa had been busy with the bar, having closed a little later than she would have liked because of a group of cheerful workers. _'Time flies when you're having fun.'_

Kyrie frowned. "How do you know where they are?"

Evan spoke up before either Tifa or Cloud could say anything. "Zeph was taking another kid home, so...They might be there, at her house." His girlfriend nodded, satisfied with the answer.

Tifa looked about as they continued on, unfamiliar with this area of Edge. The woman didn't get out of the bar as much as she'd like to, but she had a penchant for keeping busy; it kept certain thoughts from creeping into her mind, guilty thoughts. They had faded some with time, allowing her some peace when she wasn't particularly busy, and Cloud and the children certainly helped keep her sane most days. Still, she mused to herself, she needed to become more familiar with the city than she was now.

Especially with wandering children. Tifa remembered that when she lived in Nibelheim as a child how she would wander about the area, and helped lead her to becoming a mountain guide for Shinra employees and tourists. Tifa knew she couldn't keep the children within the neighborhood all the time, and if they got lost possibly like this again...Cloud wasn't always going to be around when something like this was needed.

"Hm, her house is...this way." Cloud mumbled, pointing. He seemed to shudder a moment as he walked down the alleyway, as if a chill had come blowing on the wind. Tifa bit her lip, hoping they would find them soon, the night deepening. The warrior seemed walk a little faster, the others coming to reach his tempo as they made their way through and to a bend.

His nose was becoming more sensitive. Cloud glanced up a moment, the Full Moon peeking from behind one of the taller buildings. Going back to the street and trail, he took a few deep breaths; the heat in his chest was growing warmer and his fangs were pushing and throbbing in his mouth. _'Just a little bit longer...I can't change just yet, just let me find the kids first...'_ He sniffed quietly, at a strange junction. Finding their scent again, he turned onto the street, frowning. Were the children lost?

Cloud put up his hood, feeling his ears slowly stretching as he forced down the heat in his chest, a battle he knew he was going to lose soon. Still, he had time; the scents were growing stronger and he was starting to hear little voices, making him smile. They were okay! "...I think I hear them. They must be close by..." The warrior pointed forwards, quickening his steps.

* * *

"I think we're lost, Rosa..." Vits said matter-of-factly. The three children looked about in the moonlit crossroad, unsure where they even were any more, the only thing greeting them was a small dim light here and there or the hum of electriticity from a transformer. The area was residential, and a few golden lights glowed from buildings here and there.

The girl bit her lip and squeezed her hands together, looking at the dark junction. "Um, maybe...I'm sorry. I just..." She let out a sigh, looking up at the moon that threateningly shone down upon the trio; they were hopelessly lost, and it was her fault.

Zeph shook his head. "I guess Cloud will find us, then. Just gotta hang tight until he gets us." He looked down, seemingly thinking hard about something, a hand on his hip.

Rosa gasped, looking this way and that, as if they were about to be attacked. "H-he would do that?" Her eyes were wide in the dark. _'Is he coming to eat us?'_

"Yeah...You don't think he'd be worried about us?" The boy raised a brow as he frowned at her, Vits snorting at the conversation while looking towards an alleyway. "He's probably on his way right now...I'm gonna get scolded, it's past dinner and they don't eat until everyone is home."

Images of being stalked by a large, yellow, drooling beast that could be watching from the dark recesses of the alleyway flashed in her mind and she shuddered, Rosa doubting her original plan would have saved them, but might condemn two others as well now. Still, she thought they might have time to get away from the hungry monster. "Let's go this way!" The girl took Zeph's hand and dragged him into a dark side alley as he protested, Vits venturing a peek before something caught his ear from behind him.

"Hello?" Was that Tifa's voice? He turned around, jogging towards the familiar voice.

"Is that you, Tifa?" He responded cautiously.

Two blue dots appeared out of the darkness, Vits momentarily uncertain until he remembered Denzel speaking of Cloud's strange eyes. He was soon met by the hooded warrior, his features barely visible as his dark hood shaded most of his face from the moonlight. "I guess you got a little lost out here, huh?" Vits squinted, were those fangs? He mentally shrugged, figuring it was the moonlight playing tricks on him. Tifa appeared right after, her body luminously pale in the light, looking about quickly for the other two children.

Vits nodded, then pointed behind him. "Rosa took Zeph deeper in. She seems really scared...I guess she doesn't like the dark." He said, shrugging.

Cloud sighed, giving the boy a nod as Tifa walked towards the pathway quietly. Then, the warrior turned towards Evan and Kyrie, who showed up right behind Cloud a moment later. "You think you three can make it out of here without us?" He asked the couple with an inquiring gaze.

Evan chuckled. "I'm a detective, I sleuth through these roads more than you'd think...Even in the dark." As if Cloud would forget the bravado fuelled caper he had committed that spring! He looked down at Vits as he walked up to his guardians, then took one of his hands. "I think you've been out long enough as it is."

"Sorry Evan, Kyrie...We were just trying to help..." The boy said dejectedly.

"I know. That's how we get into the most trouble..." Evan grinned, Kyrie hissing a sigh meant for the both of them as they turned the corner and disappeared.

Cloud looked back towards Tifa, his face revealing his internal battle that he was slowly losing to the moon; dark circles were forming under his eyes and his half opened mouth held gleaming, sharp teeth now. He walked up to her, giving a tentative sniff of the trail, a scent of Zeph and Rosa and a large amount of fear. "Let's find them, quick. I don't have much time left."

Tifa frowned as they started again. "What do we do when we find the girl?"

Cloud shrugged, figuring they'd find out when they got to it. He looked back up to the moon, begging for a little more time.


	33. The Kids Are Alright

"Hm, Cloud looked a little...funny tonight, don't you think?" Kyrie prodded as the trio made their way through the maze of alleyways. Vits nodded in the dark, though he wasn't as interested as his female guardian was.

Evan sighed, using a hand to rub his face. "I guess he just felt like wearing something a little weird tonight." _'Hope he doesn't shred it, looks expensive.'_

Kyrie shook her head. "Well his get up was kinda strange, but I meant his face. He looked off." She frowned as she pondered his image. Almost strained, his eyes sunken in-or were they dark circles?

"Yeah. His teeth looked really weird." Vits added as he kicked a pebble down the path. Kyrie nodded in the dark.

The detective was glad it was too dark to see his face. "It was probably just how the moonlight played on his face. Everyone looks a bit strange in the moon's beams, you know."

"His canines looked like they were poppin' out of his mouth, Evan." Kyrie was wondering if her boyfriend was being purposefully obtuse.

"You were totally seeing things." He replied back, shrugging. "Anyway, we gotta fix up something-"

"Hey, Evan! We were lookin' for you, yo!"

The detective stopped in his tracks as the familiar voice lazily made its way into his ear; two silhouettes made their way out of a side path to meet the little family. Vits scowled in the dark, his hatred for Shinra well known to Kyrie and Evan after the events that lead to his brother's death.

"Reno, Rude...You're out late." Evan responded almost nervously. _'What the hell are they doing, following me around at night now?'_ He didn't hate the Turks, not at all; but they were Turks all the same. Sometimes friendly, sometimes absolutely brutal.

Reno seemed to wave his hands in the dark. "We came by your place earlier and you weren't there. So, we started lookin' around. You weren't at Strife's place, so we wandered by here 'cause it's a well used path, yo. Thought you'd be about."

Kyrie coughed. "Seems you're right on the money..."

"Were you with them?" Reno inquired lightly.

"Who?" Evan asked.

"You know who, yo! Cloud and Tifa."

Kyrie interrupted the detective. "Yeah, they're searching for their kid back that way..." She pointed behind them, "and some other kid, too."

They heard the Turk tap his foot, humming to himself. "Out here, tonight? Well, I never said Cloud doesn't have brass balls." Reno chuckled to himself, then nodded. "I'm curious, yo. If you guys are safe, we're gonna go check on those two next."

Before Evan could protest, he felt Kyrie push on his shoulders to get him walking. "Great. Don't get eatin' by a werewolf, you two." She said flatly, Vits mumbling that he hoped they would, though it was out of earshot.

"Uh, guess I'll see you two later, then...Careful." Evan meant it; he had a few sentimental feelings for the Turks, even if he tried to keep them secret from his family, especially Vits. Even Kyrie seemed to not hate them at the very least; they'd kept the two alive during their journey to find his mother. Would Cloud attack them? He wasn't quite sure, but he knew they had a history.

Reno gave a two finger salute before walking the way the trio came. "Count on it, yo." Rude followed silently, still wearing his sunglasses. Reno gave him a sideways glance in the dark, raising a brow. "D'you ever take those things off, partner?"

"When I go to sleep." Rude quietly responded.

"Color me surprised." Was the facetious response.

* * *

Rosa's hurried panting echoed in the dark as she dragged a confused Zeph through the claustrophobic corridor. "Almost there!" She said with an airy breath. The girl really didn't know where she was, all she knew was that they had to get as far away as possible, her mind panicking as potential danger loomed at their backs.

"Rosa, we really gotta stay in one place so they can find us!" Zeph looked back, seeing a pair of blue dots in the distance. He smiled, then tried to slow the girl down. "See, Cloud's right behind us, thank Gaia..." He waved at the approaching dots, holding Rosa's hand as he stopped.

She paused and looked back, her eyes widening as she saw a hooded man walking quickly towards them, glowing blue eyes staring back at them. He waved, jogging closer. "Hey! We've been looking for you-"

The girl jolted for another alleyway, forcing Zeph to come along into the more illuminated path, the moon's light shining on them from above as they charged towards its end. "Can't let him get us..." She breathed. Too close, Cloud was too close. She had to find a way to save them both, some how.

Zeph frowned as he followed her by his arm. "Why not? He's gonna take us home." What was her problem?

She shook her head, upset. "I'm sorry, Zeph...He's a werewolf, he's the one that killed my uncle's friend! He's gonna eat you, I had to get you out of there..." Rosa stopped, looking about frantically for another path to take; it was a dead end, no other alleys except from the way they came. "Oh, no..." The girl looked for a way over one of the lower walls, jumping to no avail.

The boy frowned, then looked towards the ground. "Rosa, I...um..."

"There you are." Rosa gasped, backing herself towards the far wall of the alley as the hooded man came closer to them. She observed that he was holding his side and breathing heavily, almost gasping as he came ever closer, his teeth glinting in his open mouth. Rosa looked back towards Zeph, the boy looking back and forth between the two, then remembered his weapon; as the boy turned towards the werewolf she moved in front of him, unsheathing his sword as he yelped in surprise and pointed the silver weapon at Cloud, not more than five feet away.

He raised his head and looked at her with a confused face, slowly blinking. "...You don't know how to use that..." Cloud growled as softly as he could, pointing at the sword with a shaking finger.

"S-Stay back! You aren't gonna eat us!" Rosa squeaked as she nervously swayed the weapon in her hands, her fear palpable as she looked at the feral, wolfish face watching her from under the hood.

"He's not gonna eat us..." Zeph mumbled as he tried to stop her before she hurt herself.

Cloud rattled a sigh, shaking his head. "Wasn't my intention...urgh..." He grimaced, then looked at Zeph apologetically. "Can you look away..." He slouched on the wall, obviously done fighting what now came naturally to his body. The boy obediently did so, nudging the girl to do the same; she shrugged her shoulder away as she held the sword in both shaking hands, her mind too panicked to ask questions. Zeph covered his ears, not wanting to hear those noises he remembered from the slums...

A harsh grunt followed moments later by a growl set her further on edge, and she watched frozen as the man in front of her seemed to grow taller as horrible snapping and crunching sounds reached her ears; his face turning into a leathery, toothy wolf maul in front of her eyes from under the hood. The gentle hands that assisted her several days ago swelled and peeled back to show flesh rending claws that glistened in the moonlight as he flexed them; his footwear ripping apart to show large stretching claws, and he stood tall, the robe he had been wearing magically enlarging to his size. He grumbled a heavy breath, blinking, then locked eyes with the girl.

"S-stay back...Please..." Rosa shuddered as the werewolf took a few steps forward, staring at her with a cocked head; the girl swung the sword but the attack was easily dodged, her feet stumbling from her lack of balance. Her breathing quickened and she felt blood rush to her head, then everything went dark as she fell into oblivion.

"Hey, you left me behind...Oh!" Tifa jogged to the end of the alley, frowning. Zeph turned around, smiling at her approach and gave her a big hug as they met. Cloud grumbled, trying to move his hood from his face; Tifa came over to him and pushed it off his head as he bent over for her, his pointy ears flicking after being freed.

Zeph turned around, taking his hands away from his ears and giving a guilty look. "Sorry, Cloud and Tifa...She got lost going home." the boy looked down, ashamed that for a second time he had his guardians out chasing for him in the dark. "She knew you were a werewolf, Cloud..." The werewolf snorted; it's not like he didn't know that now.

Tifa bent down and gave the boy a pat on the shoulder. "I understand. This was just...a misunderstanding, wasn't it?"

Zeph nodded. He looked down at his friend, the girl having blacked out from Cloud's intimidating visage; the boy remembered a time not too long ago where he would have had the same reaction if he hadn't been with the warrior so much. Zeph softly rubbed her shoulder as he scooped up his blade, relieved she was still breathing at the very least. He stood up and sheathed the sword, watching as Tifa brought the girl into her arms. "...Are we taking her with us?" He inquired.

Tifa nodded. "We can't leave her here, and we have no idea where her home is..." Cloud gave a grumble behind her, and she sighed. "I know, it's that Merle guy's niece...not her fault."

The werewolf walked in front of them, the woman and child following behind him as he navigated through the alleys and using their scent like a string through a maze. Tifa hummed, holding the little girl. "Denzel and Marlene are going to be starving when we get back. It's late as it is...I guess I'll have to make sandwiches." She wasn't in the mood to cook.

Cloud whined, Tifa giggling. "I'll make it up to you, Cloud. I promise. Yeah, I guess sandwiches are kinda skimpy, aren't they?" The werewolf nodded in agreement as he turned a familiar corner. The woman hummed to herself again, checking over the girl. "At least it's quick to make."

They wandered through the dark alleyways, Cloud knowing where they were after a time. He sniffed the air, then stopped as he hit a moonlit intersection with a frown. The werewolf sniffed again, and his eyes widened; this could be very bad. Cloud looked back at Tifa and Zeph, the woman frowning at his expression.

"Cloud, what's wrong?"

He grimaced. _**'I can't talk..'**_ Hearing the footsteps get closer, he looked around, and found a place to hide. He looked back at Tifa, and used a claw to point to her, then down at the ground.

"...Stay here?"

Cloud nodded. He then pointed at himself, then pointed behind a large metal pillar; he made sure the woman understood before quickly moving behind it and hiding as best he could, using his ears to make sure they didn't do anything to her. Not that they would, he assumed; Reno and Rude seemed to respect the couple enough, though you could never really tell with the Turks sometimes. Soon, he heard the crunch of their feet meet Tifa's vicinity as she walked back a step or two before the Turks came into view.

"Hey, you remember me, right?" Reno was being his friendly, cocky self.

Tifa gave a friendly snort. "Yeah, I remember you."

"No need to look so surprised, then." He looked down into Tifa's arms, first noticing the boy grasping at her back skirt, then the girl she was carrying. "New kids of yours?"

"Just the boy, Reno."

Looking at Zeph, Reno gave the boy a sly grin and a wink, and the child gave back a shy nod in return. The Turk scratched the side of his head, and looked into Tifa's eyes. "Oh? What's the story with the girl, then?" He was curious now.

Tifa blushed, the action making her pale glowing skin livid. "Um, she's a friend of Zeph's-" She nodded towards the boy, "-and she fell while running, knocking herself out. So, I'm taking her home and calling her parents in the morning."

Rude grunted behind his lanky, sly partner, who gave a light chuckle. "I see...did Cloud just leave ya out here, when there's naughty little wolves runnin' around?" The Turk was grilling her.

The woman narrowed her eyes, giving him a defensive look. "He was checking on a strange noise, I went on ahead without him. I'm a big girl, I can handle myself, you know."

Reno laughed. "Yeah, okay. If you can handle yourself, then I guess we'll be going, yo."

"Going where?" She inquired.

Reno smirked as he walked past her. "Going to find Cloud, yo. Been wantin' to catch up with him, anyway."

Tifa attempted her best poker face. "Since when have you been wanting to keep tabs on either of us?" she asked casually.

"Since this werewolf fiasco. Word got out that he hunts the things, yeah? President Shinra might be interested in those skills of his..." He scratched his chin, his blue eyes reflecting the moon as he angled his head.

"Oh. W-well, he's not that way." The woman pointed towards another path nearby, opposite the one they had come from. "He moved on ahead, that way."

Reno nodded. "Thanks, yo. The path back to your street should be safe, but...take care, Tifa." He bounded over to the dark alleyway, Rude looking over to Tifa and giving her a departing nod before following his partner, an almost indiscernible smile on the edges on his mouth.

Cloud waited a few moments, listening to them disappear into the other path; he had bit his arm in an attempt to keep his heightened instincts in check. He was so hungry! _**'Not eating the Turks...not good.'**_ Tifa giving a hushed whisper to tell him it was alright, he quickly bolted out from his hiding area, spooking Zeph with his quick movements. Looking back and seeing the Turks still walking away in monochrome, he darted down the path towards Seventh Heaven, Tifa behind him.

After some twists and turns Cloud peeked out of the dark pathway, and he saw the back of the bar in the empty alley. Nodding at her, Tifa charged out into the alley and towards the garage door, Zeph and finally Cloud following swiftly behind on all fours. The three made it up the door, Cloud digging his claws under the aluminum sliding door and effortlessly opening it up; he let the others in before quickly pushing himself in, closing it back up and sealing them in the dark room.

Before Cloud could make his way to the front of the group again, the sound of Marlene's feet pitter pattered closer; he winced as the bar's light hit his eyes, and then the garage lights. The werewolf let out a little whine from the flood of brightness after so many dark alleys, and he felt Zeph pat his arm gingerly, as if to comfort him.

"Sorry, Cloud!" He heard Marlene chime from the door. He gave a soft grumble in response, coming closer as he adjusted to the light level finally. Cloud was the last one out, clumsily making his way into the galley as Marlene turned off the garage light and shut the door behind her.

Cait Sith cheered their arrival, looking Cloud over from his perch on the counter. "Had yerself a time oot there, laddy?!" Cloud snorted, shaking his head as he slowly made his way to follow Tifa, who was already up the stairs; Zeph sat himself at the bar next to Denzel, seeing what they were up to.

 _ **'What a night.'**_ Cloud followed Tifa, the woman taking the child into his office. He felt bad for the girl, despite being Merle's niece and not knowing her very well; Rosa came off as a sweet girl in the short time he spent with her, and showed dedication towards her friends when she thought they were in danger. He knew the value of that particular quality very well. Tifa gently placed the girl on the office bed, putting the covers on her after checking her over again. Cloud sniffed nearby, the girl still sending out a fearful scent while completely out, and he frowned.

Tifa rubbed his head when she was done tucking in the girl. "I'm gonna go downstairs and make some sandwiches...Sorry, I'll make something nice in a couple of nights, okay?" He seemed to smile at her, and she returned the gesture before checking her phone for the time. It was well past ten, and she sighed, walking out of the office and towards the galley at the bottom of the stairs. Looking about, she noticed the children had made a haphazard plate of sandwiches already, the three eating as they watched Tifa come into view.

"Huh. Looks like you guys were hungry enough to make dinner for once!" Tifa joked.

Marlene swallowed a bite. "Zeph said that girl is a friend of his."

Tifa nodded, sighing. "Yeah. She...passed out when Cloud..."

Denzel shook his head. "I hope Rosa doesn't pass out again when she finds out where she stayed the night."

They heard a disapproving grumble from the base of the steps as Cloud came down the stairs carefully, towering behind Tifa as he eyed the sandwich tower. The woman looked up, noticing his gaze, and she let out a giggle.

"Alright, let me see how I can feed you this..."

* * *

"Hmm...I guess you're stuck in that tonight, huh?" Tifa said to the robed werewolf, getting a grumble back. She had checked on the girl before coming to the bedroom, Rosa still completely knocked out. Tifa put on her night clothing as Cloud laid on his side next to the bed, watching her sleepily. He was too big for the bed, not wanting to scratch the blankets up or squish Tifa. Still, he glanced at it wistfully.

The kids had eaten several sandwiches before the adults had sent them to bed, and they themselves had had their fill of the fluffy, meaty food. The werewolf was almost certain he'd feel sick in the morning from it, but he'd been so hungry! It had taken willpower to not let his instincts work him up, otherwise he may have ruined the fridge in a mad dash for meat.

Cloud had wished there had been something less carb-laden to eat without raiding the fridge of what was supposed to have been tonight's dinner, but meat filling the bread made it almost enjoyable. Tifa would gently place a sandwich up to his muzzle as he sat next to her, and he would very gingerly take it from her, then let it go further into his maw before chomping on the soft meal, the children giggling at the awkward motion.

The woman made her way to her side of the bed, turning off the lamp and laying on her back, thinking. Cloud made an inquiring hum, as if knowing she wanted to speak before bed. She looked over towards his position on the floor, shifting to his side of the bed and rubbing the top of his head. "I'm just wondering what to do about the little girl, Cloud." She said softly.

Tifa felt him bob his head in a nod, his glowing eyes looking up at her from the ground. She continued her musings as he listened. "Maybe I'll take her back to her home in the morning. You can watch the kids..." She yawned. "...In the morning..." Tifa snuggled into Cloud's pillow, catching his scent as she fell asleep. The werewolf laid on the floor quietly, letting Tifa's soft breaths lull him off to his usual dreamless rest that occurred on Full Moons, her hand laying on his spiky, furry head.

* * *

Merle and Ichi both yawned as they made their way down the street, their shifts having ended an hour ago on the other side of the city; the WRO flanked the slums on Full Moons now as a recent precaution brought up by higher ups. Both could see why, despite having at least one werewolf capable of wandering the city as the troops defended the city's border. They looked about their sleepy neighborhood, the Full Moon above them and beginning to descend from the top of the glowing firmament.

"I hate leaving my girlfriend alone on nights like this," Ichi said as he popped his back. "I doubt a door can keep her safe."

Merle nodded. "I feel the same way about Rosa. She's been through enough as it is..." He heaved a sigh, the thought of that bastard werewolf tracking her down and keeping her as some pawn to torment him had run through his head the past several days. Would he do that? Perhaps he would. He was just a strange creature altogether, unpredictable to the peacekeeper. One day killing hunters, the other training children and hunting other werewolves?

Compounding it was his own attitude on Harry's death. Was it his fault, was it Cloud's fault? Merle did feel extremely guilty over it still, especially considering he'd pushed for the three to bag one of the monsters. Then, they had the misfortune to meet one with enough cleverness to do an ambush as they chased it. Should they have chased him? How could they have known? It didn't matter, a monster is a monster.

Making his way towards his house he looked towards Ichi, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "I'll see you later today, man. Take it easy."

Ichi nodded, giving a sleepy smile. "You too, Merle." The blonde haired man continued on towards his home farther down the moonlit street, walking tiredly.

Merle came to his door, shuffling for his keys. _'I hope I don't wake Rosa up...It's late.'_ Finding his key he slowly unlocked the door, then softly opened it to let himself into the dark abode. A nightlight from the kitchen glowed, sending a soft and weak light into the area in front of it as he closed the door behind him. Tip-toeing into the living room he quickly peeked into Rosa's dark bedroom, unable to see much at all in the darkness; he did it out of habit mostly. Sighing, he made his way to his room to take a shower.

The shower was hot and slow, and he now had his pajamas on as he tiredly walked into the kitchen to get one of the sandwiches he and Rosa had made earlier in the day. As he stared into the fridge he frowned at the multiple sandwiches that sat within; he wondered if she had become sick during the day to have not eaten hers. Unwrapping one and munching on it hungrily he closed the fridge and made his way to the girl's room, softly entering to check on her. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness they widened in absolute panic; her bed was empty.

Merle desperately patted the bed and grasped underneath it, looking for Rosa in the closets and under his bed; anywhere she could have fallen asleep he checked desperately while calling for her. His mind raced as he went through all the possibilities. Did she get hurt outside, did she collapse in an alley nearby? Did _he_... Merle looked for a note saying she went to a friend's house, but found nothing. No, not tonight...He ran to get his phone in his room, dialing Ichi as he hurriedly changed into his lightly armored uniform again to begin a search.

"...Merle...What's up...?" Came a groggy response.

"She's gone, Rosa's gone!" Merle shouted into the phone.

Ichi audibly gasped. "You checked everywhere?" His voice was noticeably surprised.

"Yes, she's nowhere to be found...I'm gonna go out and search the area."

"I'll be out there in ten, buddy." Ichi hung up, and the peacekeeper tucked the phone away.

Ten minutes later the duo was searching nearby alleys and roads with bright flashlights, desperately checking everywhere for the little girl as the night continued on. As they went about their search they increased the area of their scope, hoping she would be fine if in a spot of trouble for not coming home before her curfew. The tall peacekeeper even thought to forego the trouble part, if only he'd find her safe.

Meandering through an alleyway, they tiredly plodded their way as they mumbled the girl's name after countless hours of desperate searching; the moon hid behind buildings and the sky was slowly lightening into the hues of dawn, creating a dull rosy light in the corridor. They both wondered if it was possible she had been snatched by someone or something, but kept the thought in the back of their minds without more evidence, if only to keep hope. Ichi sighed.

"She must have gotten pretty lost..."

Merle looked about, turning a corner. "Yeah."

"Maybe if we can't find her, we'll check her friends' houses? She has to be around here somewhere." Ichi gave a hopeful shrug, Merle nodding.

"Yeah. Rosa couldn't have gone that far-"

Merle froze, looking at what laid on the ground in the alley they just turned into. He creeped to a black mass, then crouched down to investigate; gingerly picking it up he noticed it was an exploded sneaker, claw marks digging into the padded bottoms. He looked down, the other mass the same, where was the other clothing? This was from a werewolf, regardless, and it was far too close to his neighborhood for comfort. "There was a werewolf here."

Ichi walked up to him. "You're kidding." He looked at the evidence, then sighed. "Damn it..."

Merle sat on the ground next to the evidence, thinking. _'A werewolf...What was she doing outside so late, if one of those things were stalking the area tonight...There's only one known one in the city, and he lives too close for comfort...'_ Did he come nude, except for sneakers? Maybe he had a blanket or something. Now he was angry.

"That evil bastard..." He lifted himself up from the ground, angrily walking out of the alley with Ichi following him; he was going to march right into that bar a punch that vile wolf right in the face for kidnapping his niece, then bash his head in with his baton.

Ichi kept pace, knowing exactly where they were going. "Man, he's gone a bit far this time. Kidnapping a kid, or..."

"Don't even think it, Ichi. I'm gonna teach that mutt a damned lesson for this, that son of a bitch!" He took his friend, he's not going to take his niece too, he reasoned.

* * *

Rosa stirred, grunting softly as she rubbed her eyes. Opening them up, she blinked, unsure of the strange room she was sleeping in. She heard the sound of a shower dulled by walls, and an almost familiar voice humming from its direction. Rosa sat up, adjusting to the soft grey light seeping into the room from the window and a skylight; there was a desk facing her and wheels and vehicle parts laying about on the other side of the room. She shifted the covers off and gingerly stood up, noticing the door had a window in it; this wasn't a bedroom. She frowned, thinking. _'Cloud turned into a monster and...did someone save me? Why didn't Zeph try and fight him...'_ Surely he of all people wouldn't trust a werewolf. Maybe he was in denial...she couldn't quite blame him, the man did save them from Valdt after all.

Looking down, she noticed a white mass in front of the door. Walking towards it and crouching, she noticed it was Zeph, wrapped up in blankets. Her brows knotted in confusion; why was he in here, on the floor? Rosa shook the boy, and he gave a moaning grunt in response before stirring. Zeph turned towards her as he sat up, rubbing an eye; he blinked several times and then gave the girl a sleepy smile. "Morning, Rosa."

"Um, morning..." She looked around again and sat down next to him as he situated himself. "...Where are we?"

Zeph shifted uncomfortably. "You're at my place."

Her hazel eyes widened, visibly frightened..."B-but..."

He shook his head, frowning. "Cloud's not like that, Rosa." The boy looked down, giving a little hum before looking back into the girl's eyes. "I'm still getting used to it, but I've been getting better."

Rosa didn't know how to take the news; it felt like a slap to the face. "You of all people..."

The boy crossed his arms. "What Valdt did isn't what Cloud does. He saved us, didn't he?"

She cocked her head. "Didn't Valdt turn him?"

"Cloud said it was another one when he was returning home from a delivery. It got him half a year ago."

Rosa scratched her head, thinking. "So when he killed..." she looked down sadly; it wasn't the werewolf's first Full Moon.

Zeph took her hand in his and patted it, a light blush on his cheeks for making such a bold move. "I know. I didn't know it was him when it first happened, but...Rosa, I thought Cloud was gonna die that morning." He looked away for a moment, remembering his bloody injuries. "He said he went out there to be left alone, he didn't want to hurt anybody."

The girl looked back up at her friend, unsure what to say at first. "...When did you find out?"

"Almost two weeks after that happened. I was terrified of him. I walked back to my old home with Marlene following me," He pointed a thumb behind him, "and then a werewolf attacked us. Cloud kicked it off me, then he...well, it won't eat anymore kids."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation, Rosa looking up to see a dark haired woman looking through the glass; the bartender from last night. Zeph lifted himself up to get out of the way, the girl nervously scooting away. "Is she a werewolf, too?"

Zeph shook his head with a small smile as the door opened, the woman coming in. She smiled at the girl warmly, crouching down to Rosa's eye level. "Morning, sweetie. I'm Tifa...I carried you here last night."

The girl swallowed nervously. "T-thanks, but my uncle is gonna be really upset..."

Tifa gave a soft sigh. "I expect as much. I'm going to take you home after breakfast, okay?" The girl nodded silently, and the bartender gave a smile in response. "I'll be downstairs. Zeph can take you when you're ready, okay?"

"...Okay."

The woman got up and left the room, leaving Rosa and Zeph alone again. The two felt slightly awkward, neither sure what to say or quite what to do. The boy inhaled a breath, then sighed loudly.

"I guess everyone is already downstairs, we should probably get going, too." he said, looking at her shyly.

Rosa squirmed slightly. "He's down there, isn't he?"

Zeph nodded, holding out his hand. "I'll sit near you, don't worry."

* * *

Cloud sleepily sipped his coffee as he looked at a stray, fluffy bang float between his eyes. He flicked it away, then looked over at Marlene, the girl giggling at his battle with his hair. The warrior gave a frown, then continued on with his coffee, glancing towards the counter as footfalls left the stairwell.

Zeph came into view a moment later, followed by Rosa; the two locked eyes a moment, and Cloud turned away quickly, focusing on his coffee again as the girl let out a small moan to show her discomfort. The boy coaxed her to sit next to Marlene, the girl happily greeting her; she mumbled a greeting back to her as she watched the man warily, causing him to blush as he held his mug.

"Morning, Cloud." Zeph said as he sat himself.

"...Morning." was the response, followed by another gulp of coffee. He felt uncomfortable, the girl staring at him like he could rip her head off at any moment. _'...She should have turned away.'_ Cloud dared to glance at her, giving her a weak nod, then muttering the same greeting to her. "Mornin'."

Rosa squeaked, shrinking in her chair a little; Cloud looked down and away, still embarrassed.

Tifa came over several awkward minutes later with a tray of plates, giving the children their pancakes; she left and returned with her and Cloud's platter, finally sitting down. After last night the omelette was a welcome sight; the sandwiches had only kept him from being hungry, but not really sating him much.

Cutting into her pancakes, Tifa looked over Marlene's head at Rosa, the girl fidgeting with her fork as she watched Cloud; she frowned. "Is everything alright, Rosa?"

The girl looked over, giving a little nod. She turned back and started to eat her food, still watching. The breakfast was quiet, Zeph giving reassuring nods to his friend when she glanced his way; Cloud finished his meal first and excused himself, putting his dishes in the sink and walking upstairs to get the rest of his outfit. Rosa relaxed more, focusing on her breakfast for once.

Marlene looked over at the girl after happily munching on a slice of pancake. "Will you be going to the same school as us next month?"

The girl turned her head, swallowing her mouthful. "I think so. I've never been to this one before."

"Really? We gotta show Zeph around on his first day of school, we can show you too, if you want." Denzel offered.

Rosa allowed herself a small smile; even if her uncle forbade her to visit Zeph in the future, she could still meet him at school. "I'd like that."

After a few minutes of silence as the group finished their food, the front door was slammed upon violently, causing the kids to let out little screams and Tifa to hop out of her chair, taking a defensive position in front of the table. She made out the sound of Cloud's footfalls as he hurriedly made his way down the stairs. "Who is it?!" the bartender yelled out.

Cloud quickly made his way to the front of the bar, then opened the door with his other hand balled into a fist. "Who-"

He stumbled back a few feet, Cloud's nose numb from the shock of a fist connecting with it; he grunted angrily as blood dripped from the nostrils. The children left their seats, hiding behind Tifa not knowing the source of the trouble. He grimaced, then shot forward and grabbed the assailant as he charged through the door and dragged him onto the floor like a rag-doll. The warrior stood over the blue clad man angrily, the desire to beat him to a pulp strong; the man on the floor got up and tried to assault Cloud again, only to be maneuvered into the wall next to the door as his companion meekly peeked through.

"Fucking kidnapping my niece, I'll gut you, you stupid mutt!" Merle struggled against the powerful grip pinning him down, his face full of impotent rage.

"Uncle Merle!" Rosa chimed, cautiously coming towards the two men.

He moved his head, looking towards the girl; Merle struggled again in Cloud's grip before the warrior let him go and then walked away towards Tifa.

"She was lost last night. We brought her here." He mumbled, heading towards the sink to rinse his face of blood.

Merle moved his shoulders about, certain he was bruised. Ichi warily stood next to him, looking at the group in front of him; several children clung to Tifa as the grumpy werewolf washed up in the sink, his back turned to them. A strange cat doll almost seemed to be gazing at him from the counter, deepening his frown.

The tall peacekeeper tiredly, worriedly looked down at his niece, then went down to give her a huge hug. "Rosa, what happened?" He eyed Cloud a moment, then Tifa, who seemed to roll her eyes and usher the children upstairs before returning to the front of the bar.

After her uncle had released his hug and stood erect, Rosa looked towards the floorboards, twisting about her foot. "...I, um...I wanted to save Zeph. So I came down here to trick him into leaving the bar..." she looked up, her eyes teary. "then we got lost, then Cloud and Tifa found us."

Cloud walked over, his nose looking better than it had minutes ago. "...We didn't know where she lived, so we just took her back with us." Merle glared at him, uncertain of his motives; Cloud put a hand on his hip, obviously tired of dealing with the man. The warrior continued. "She's one of Zeph's friends."

"He didn't hurt me, Uncle Merle." Rosa said, not wanting either of them to fight anymore. "...I was wrong, Zeph wasn't gonna get eaten."

Before Merle could respond, a squeaky voice chimed from the counter. "Oh ho, ye boys like tae keep me friend here company, doncha?" Ichi and Merle looked about, then noticed the cat doll waving at them before dropping to the ground and walking up to them casually, its tail flicking lazily.

"Who're you?" Ichi said, puzzled.

"Me? Let's just say yer boss knows what ye both've been doin'!" It smiled up at them.

Tifa sighed, shaking her head. "This is Cait Sith."

Merle frowned, trying to remember back a year ago; he swore he'd seen this cat before. "Our boss? President Tuesti?" His eyes widened a moment: Cloud was the hunter, and the hunter was a friend of the leader of the WRO.

"Aye! Ye both're just tenacious hunters, aren't ye? But we cannae have ye killin' me friend here, ye know." The cat motioned towards Cloud, then gave a sympathetic look. "I know why, too. No one here isn't sorry about what happened. But, I'm putting you both on new assignments."

Ichi noticed the cat's accent had changed; he was squeaky still but his voice carried an air of authority now. Was this thing connected to their boss somehow? "Uh, what's the assignment?" He looked up at Cloud, the werewolf holding a puzzled look; he looked directly at Ichi, then shrugged.

Cait Sith pointed at Cloud, then pointed at the two peacekeepers. "You'll work with Cloud on an assignment early next month, or late this month. I'll give you the fixed date soon."

"I don't need anyone helping me hunt down those things, Reeve." Cloud said stiffly, frowning.

Cait Sith shook his head at the warrior. "It's not for Edge. It's an operation in Kalm. Remember Valdt? He had connections in the little town. Not many, but they would purchase children here and there. When you killed him and word got out about werewolves, they seemed to lay low for a time, but now there's been disappearances since then."

Merle scoffed. "You want us to go out with this man-eater masquerading as a saint?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes at him. "I can easily admit I'm no saint." he said darkly. "There's a lot of things I am, and 'man-eater' isn't one of them." If he could help it, that is.

"You think either of us forgot about that woman on your bike?" Rosa looked between her uncle and Cloud, worrying.

Tifa rolled her eyes, a hand on her hip. "Are you talking about Penny? Cloud took her home, she's fine. We're visiting her soon."

Ichi seemed satisfied, Merle still slightly on edge. The blonde peacekeeper spoke up. "If there's a few, why not just take some of the Junon hunters to eliminate them?"

"Because I don't want them to panic. There's peacekeepers in Kalm, but they seem to have some information on troop movements...Or they would have been eliminated by now. But so far from our intelligence gathering, they don't know about Cloud yet." The cat rubbed its chin. "Or they don't know what Cloud is. I'll have you three hunt them down, leaving the town safe."

Cloud sighed. "It's just a few of them...I can handle it alone."

"It's not if you can handle them or not, I don't want them getting away, and I want you to have cover in case something happens. Two hunters and a werewolf. Should be a day trip!" the cat happily squeaked.

Merle couldn't believe his horrible luck. He scowled at the werewolf, who merely looked away dismissively. _'I don't know if I want to do this.'_

"Who will keep care of Rosa while I'm gone?"

Tifa twirled some of her hair on a finger. "I can watch her with the other children."

"I wouldn't trust someone who dallies with werewolves with Rosa." Merle said, Tifa giving him an annoyed glare that made the peacekeeper regret how he put his feelings into words.

Rosa looked up at her uncle, giving a disapproving look. "I was fine last night."

"It doesn't mean you'll be alright later."

She heaved a sigh. "If you're with Cloud..." the girl rolled her eyes, as if he didn't get it.

Merle rubbed his face, groaning. He couldn't just quit just because he didn't want to do an assignment, even if it was with _him_. The job simply paid too well to leave, and he had a young girl to take care of. Merle looked over at Ichi, the man shrugging. "You're okay with this?"

"I'm tired of almost getting killed, man."

Merle could relate, but...he wondered how many more times he would have to swallow his pride for this spiky haired monster. "I don't have a choice, anyway." he said bitterly.

Cloud nodded, feeling the same way. "Guess we're all on the same boat. Hopefully I don't have to save you again on this little assignment." He walked off towards the stairs; he was done with the conversation and them.

"I didn't ask for help!" Merle shouted towards Cloud's back. The man turned, then slowly came back to face the peacekeeper, coming close. Rosa shrunk behind her uncle as the werewolf glowered up at Merle menacingly; Cloud pointed a finger at the girl slowly.

"Maybe you should swallow your pride for her sake. You wanna get back at me for your friend still, I get it. You think if you kill me you can pin all that guilt you have on my corpse." He looked down at Rosa a moment, his face gentler, then returned his glare to Merle. "You need to own the mistakes you made that night. You're responsible, too." He turned around, then went back towards the stairs again.

Merle stood there, obviously stewing in his thoughts while Rosa watched Cloud climb the stairs, disappearing. She still wasn't quite sure what to think of him, but at least she'd be able to see Zeph again, the boy not in any danger. The thought put the ghost of a smile on her lips.


	34. Learning to Get Along

"Have to spend time with that flea bitten mutt..." He kicked his foot into the pavement, irritated. Sunlight slipped into his face from the east, the bright orb shining low in the morning sky.

"I don't think he's enjoying it either, Merle." Ichi said dryly.

The man sighed as he walked down the road, looking down at his cellphone to check the time. Merle had been skeptical of the cat, but not five minutes after his argument he and Ichi had both been sent a message telling them they were getting paid days off today. They had both looked up at the cat slowly, who merely smiled back at them.

"Ye were up all night looking for that lassy! Take a load off."

He was relieved Rosa was safe and sound, at least. Merle had asked her repeatedly if they had done anything at all to her; after the third time as they walked down the street she rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Uncle Merle, they didn't do anything!" She said indignantly.

He patted her shoulder. "I'm just making sure...how did they convince you to go with them, anyway?" That had puzzled him earlier, if she had known what he was, why follow them?

Rosa looked away, fiddling with her hair. "Um, I passed out..."

"...Why?"

The girl looked ahead, ignoring her uncle's stare as they finally made it to their neighborhood. "Well, it was a Full Moon out, so...he didn't mean to scare me, I don't think." It's what werewolves do, right? _'I guess he couldn't help it, could he? I don't know.'_ "Tifa said she took me home."

Merle squeezed his fists, resisting the urge to scream. _'I have to work with him...I have to work with him...'_ He let out a troubled sigh after a minute. "...At least you're safe."

"If it was any other werewolf, you'd probably be dead." Ichi said bluntly, too tired to care; frankly he himself was surprised he was still alive after that terrible July night, the look Cloud had given him before tossing him like a rag-doll still sending shivers down his spine. Merle glared at him.

The girl hummed. "Well, maybe not. Zeph fought a werewolf before, so maybe we would've been okay. Cloud taught him how to use a sword!" she rubbed one of her fingers, nervously thinking, then looked up at her uncle.

The tall man sighed heavily, feeling the world working against him. "You want to spend more time with your friend, even if that monster's about, is that it?" he asked flatly.

"...Yeah. I trust Zeph to know, after everything he's been through..." She looked down; Rosa saw everything that day.

Merle grunted. "You've been through a lot, too, you know." he rubbed his face, grumpy. "Let me sleep on it, but you aren't going there without me or Ichi there, if I let you at all. And don't try and do another rescue mission without telling me! I still haven't decided what kinda punishment you're gonna get for keepin' me out all night lookin' for you." the three stood outside Merle's home, the man's hands on his hips.

Ichi yawned, circles under his eyes. "I'm gonna crash. I guess I'll see you two later." He gave a lazy salute which was returned, then walked off towards his residence. The remaining two entered the comfy abode they lived in, Merle stretching his back and walking towards his bedroom; he began to unzip his uniform, showing the white shirt underneath.

"I'll be up later, Rosa. Stay here, please..." He pleaded tiredly, his mind and body just wanting sleep.

The girl nodded silently behind him until he softly shut the door to his room, standing in the living room as she thought of what she could do to convince her uncle to visit later in the day; looking about, she figured their living space could use some cleaning up. _'Maybe I'll tidy up the house a little...'_

* * *

Cloud was looking over the outside of the bar's door after the morning's discussion, checking to see if he would have to put it on his repair list. _'Why can't I keep such an important thing secret? All of Edge will know at this rate.'_ The door seemed only scuffed, but structurally sound. He nodded as he finished his inspection, then frowned as he heard familiar footsteps slowly approaching. Sighing, he turned around to Reno and Rude lazily coming towards the bar.

Reno gave a little salute, grinning. "You can be a real pain in the ass to find in the dark, pal."

Cloud snorted. "Maybe I didn't want to talk last night." _'Or, maybe I couldn't.'_

"I can't remember a time when you ever wanted to chat." Reno retorted, Rude standing patiently behind his partner.

The warrior crossed his arms and walked down the steps to stand in front of the Turks. "So what did you wanna talk about, then?"

Reno's grin widened. "We heard you're the guy killin' all the werewolves in the area, yo. S'true?"

The warrior rolled his eyes, tired of the subject of werewolves. "Yeah, that's me."

"Got any tips? Heard you're better than the guys they had out here before Reeve put you in charge."

Cloud raised his brows. "Tips?" _'It takes a werewolf to sniff out a werewolf, Reno.'_ He thought for a moment, not sure what to say; obviously 'I sniff them out' leads to more of Reno's curiosity, and he just wasn't in the mood, and didn't want to disclose. "I guess mako and Jenova cells enhanced my senses enough where I can find some of them. It's not that easy."

Reno shook his head. "There's dogs for that now, yo. I mean how do you keep yourself safe?"

Cloud let out a chuckle. "Probably the same reason. They can't lay a claw on me."

"Damn. I guess we gotta stick to guns and the like, then. One almost got me last night." Reno seemed to be thinking about it, then snorted. "Guess you need to up your game, yo."

Cloud frowned, not having smelled another in the area that night. How far had they wandered, looking for him? "Where was it? I...must have missed it when I was checking."

Reno motioned his head towards the alley. "Too close for my tastes. Guess it got past the security before nightfall, but it looked like it was hunting someone before we got there."

Cloud raised a brow, deciding to ask a question he already knew the answer to, if just to feign concern. "...You didn't get infected, did you?"

Reno waved his hands defensively, scowling. "Of course not!" he took out his electric rod, a crooked smile on his face; the tips were glinting in the morning light. "You shoulda seen its face when I jammed this into its back and let her rip. They aren't so tough when you got stink bombs and silver, but close quarters makes for some close calls, yo."

Cloud's eyes went wide, his jaw slack as the Turk shot some electricity into the air, channeling through the sharp silver tips. He made a mental note to never meet Reno ever when he's a wolf; he'd probably end up in cardiac arrest. "Uh...you need tips from me? What are you doing with werewolves?"

"Hey, just 'cause we're Shinra doesn't mean we gotta have ulterior motives, yo! Just tryin' to help atone some more." He looked to the side, biting his lip; then he returned his gaze to Cloud. "Actually, since their cover's been blown, we've been tryin' to map where they tend to live around. Rufus wants to know, and maybe slip the info to Reeve, too. Where ever there's people, there's those damned things. Junon, Edge, Wutai..."

"...Nibelheim." Cloud said quietly, eyes downcast.

Reno nodded. "Yeah. Can only find one there, though, doesn't seem to live in the town."

Cloud looked back up, his eyes curious. "How much info do you have on that one?"

The Turk scratched his neck, thinking. "Well, we only know it's old and likes to either hunt people off the road or people who wander too far from Nibelheim or one of the little hamlets nearby...I guess if the people run out it can just eat wildlife and monsters and all that jazz. Wonder why they prefer prey that can retaliate?"

The warrior remembered that day he slaughtered Yuffie's assailants; their blood was sweeter than the deer he hunted in Penelope's forest. He mentally cringed; if it's not a habit, there's nothing to worry about, he assured himself. Cloud shrugged, not being totally certain what the deal was.

"Well, the funny thing is there's no permanent ones in Kalm. Trailed one or two goin' there from Junon, but that's about it." Reno said.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "...There aren't any in Kalm? Are you sure?"

The Turk nodded. "Yep. Elena searched everywhere last week with that mutt she...acquired, from the WRO." He scratched the back of his head. "She's supposed to hit this street next, wanna make sure Evan's safe, yo."

Cloud gawked at him. "W-when?" He really didn't need this. "I mean, I live on the same street as him. There's no way one would show up here..."

Reno chuckled, Rude shaking his head. "You did a good job last time, yo." he said sarcastically. "Maybe this afternoon sometime. Like I said, we're mapping them, making a census."

The warrior sighed. "Maybe I really do need to up my game, then..."

"What, don't wanna see Elena again?" Reno was teasing him. "Hey, we better get going. Rufus'll probably wanna get with you in a while since you're the hunter, yo."

"For what?"

"A little mission, nothing you can't handle."

Cloud lifted a hand, shaking his head. "Not interested."

Reno chuckled. "We'll see, yo. Later!" He waved at the warrior, Rude giving a curt nod before they both walked down the road, Reno chattering to his partner as they disappeared into a noisy crowd.

 _'...Damn it.'_

* * *

Rosa laid on her bed, waking up from a small nap after quietly cleaning the house as her uncle slept through the morning. She had eaten a leftover sandwich for lunch before continuing on to her room to clear out some of the cluttered boxes. The girl was relieved her uncle was sleeping heavily today; some of her cleaning had not been as quiet as she would have preferred from time to time. Then she cleaned herself up and put on a blue blouse and frog green shorts.

She hoped her cleaning would convince her uncle to let her see Zeph, the girl having so many questions still for her friend. Rosa still didn't understand the strange family he lived with and how casual they all seemed to be around Cloud, but she supposed it didn't matter so long as Zeph was safe. Looking at her silver spear, she felt thoughtful for a moment; maybe the werewolf could still train her someday, if she ever came to trust him. _'He can't be that bad, can he? But...'_

Sitting up in her bed and scratching her head, Rosa heard her uncle stirring in the bedroom down the hall, finally awake. She checked the clock on her end table, the time was 3:30 in the afternoon. "He'd been out all night looking for me..." she mumbled. Playing with her spear as she waited, the girl tried to practice the stance Cloud taught her nearly a week ago now; she wondered if she was doing it right, but hadn't gone off balance like last night.

Sometime later Merle appeared in her doorway, looking in a much better mood than when they had gotten home. He had looked about the living room first, then back her way with a raised brow. "Decided to clean the house?" _'Guess she wanted to get her 'punishment' over with on her own terms.'_ He wasn't in the fighting mood.

Rosa nodded. "Yeah. Um, not that much to do alone."

He snorted, a half smile on his face. "Buttering me up?" She blushed, looking away. Merle shook his head, sighing. "Between you and Ichi. I think fate must hate me, having to work with that stupid mutt..."

"I'm still upset about Harry, too. But I don't think he'd wanna see you like this, Uncle Merle." She remembered Harry as being a bit of an easy going joker. He'd make fun of Ichi's timidness and Merle's stubbornness, telling him he had 'a stick up his ass' at times. For the short time she knew him, Harry left an impression on her. "Harry would tell you to stop before you had a stroke."

Merle gave her a wistful smile, nodding. "Yeah, he probably would." He crossed his arms, thinking. _'I'm gonna be stuck with him, but only for a day hopefully. But Ichi's right, we're going to have to at least tolerate each other. I'm going to have to tolerate him.'_ He gave a scowl, remembering that Cloud had saved them from a werewolf attack as they searched for him, and helped free his niece. Why can't things be black and white? The man looked back at his niece, his dark eyes appraising her. "Fine. But I'm not leaving you alone with that mutt around, even if he didn't do anything to you."

"You mean it?"

"Yeah. I'm not thrilled about it, but...it is what it is. Anyway, I'm hungry. Since Ichi insists I talk to that couple...You can visit your friend. Just no more disappearing acts." Merle frowned, disliking the position he was in. But, Tifa did make good food, and he would be lying if he said he knew how to cook very well; it made him feel inadequate for Rosa's home life, but he had been trying.

She rushed up and gave him a hug, relieved. "I promise I won't run off again!"

"You better not!" He took her hand, leading her out of the house as he locked the door and headed out. Soon after Ichi met them, and they walked down the street in the still and warm air. Merle looked up, noticing the first of grey storm clouds approaching over the city. "It's gonna rain later..."

"I checked the radio, it should let up in the early evening, we'll be fine." Ichi said as they walked on. He looked down at Rosa, giving her a wry smile. "Done causing trouble?"

She looked up and smiled sheepishly. "But, I bet you woulda done the same thing!" He nodded back at her, certain she was correct.

They reached the other neighborhood after a time of silent walking, occasional chatter keeping their minds from wandering too far; the journey was filled with a hidden trepidation. How would the couple react to them appearing? Will they believe their intentions? Will _he_ be there, or out on patrol, prowling the city and slums for monsters worse than himself? _'At least he doesn't seem to hurt children...'_ Merle thought to himself; it was something of a relief that so far, Cloud seemed to have no intentions to harm the children near him. He had to wonder if it would change in time, though, if it were an act.

"Well, here we are again." Merle said in a gruff voice. He hesitated a moment, then opened the door to the busy bar, looking about in the low light. Tifa was at the counter, her welcoming wave frozen in the air as she recognized the two entering the bar, giving a concerned frown; she lit up in a warm and surprised smile when she noticed Rosa with them, and gestured towards the empty stools in front of her.

"Surprised to see you three so soon. Is everything alright?" Tifa inquired, uncertain as to why they made the trip to her bar.

Ichi spoke up as he sat down. "Gotta know each other to work with each other." Tifa nodded, relieved.

"...Rosa wanted to visit her friend." Merle mumbled. The bartender looked over at the girl, the child shifting in her seat a little.

"Sure. Zeph's upstairs, cleaning his room...Did you want to eat first?" Tifa inquired, the girl nodding. She gave the three her menus, then went to work on an order Marlene dropped off as the girl went to mixing a drink; she waved happily at Rosa, the girl returning the gesture.

Turning back to them, Tifa heard their orders and went to making them, her back facing the trio. "I'm sorry, but Cloud's been out on patrol this afternoon. I'm sure he'll be back before that storm comes in." she said apologetically.

Merle grunted, unsure if he wanted to even have a discussion with Cloud or a fistfight to get his frustrations out. _''You're responsible too'...'_

"Why does he hunt them?" Ichi inquired as Marlene filled their drinks and presented them, giving Rosa one of her favorite juices.

Tifa put the first two orders on their plates, then worked towards Rosa's meal. "Reeve asked him to, and he accepted. He hates most werewolves, especially after he saw what Valdt did."

Rosa piped up, rubbing her thumbs together. "How come you took Zeph home with you?"

"I felt he needed a home. One where he'd feel and be safe, after what he went through..." Tifa looked back, giving a wry smile. "I guess there's a bit of irony to it all." She finished the girl's food, and placed the platters in front of each. They began to eat, and Tifa cleaned some of the mounting dishes or filled another food order as the afternoon went on; distant thunder grumbled in the distance, promising a soon to come storm. She hoped Cloud would make his way home soon, instead of getting soaked as he usually did when a storm hit and he was out on Fenrir.

The girl quickly finished her meal, then looked over at Tifa. "Could I go see Zeph, please?"

The woman nodded, pointing towards the stairs. "If it's alright with your uncle, of course. His room is the second door to your left." Rosa looked at her uncle, who gave a curt nod. The girl enthusiastically made her way upstairs, enjoying the thought of surprising the boy as the adults continued their back and forth conversation.

* * *

The afternoon sun beamed down on the duo, Cloud deciding to patrol the city proper instead of the slums for once. He wanted to avoid his street for a while Elena possibly patrolled his neighborhood with a more than likely stolen hound; he brought his brows together, wondering why they were so interested in keeping Evan safe. Did he work for them at some point? Then again, the detective had some awfully familiar eyes...

"Aye, checkin' the city for trouble, laddy?" Cait Sith inquired from the warrior's back.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, one last sweep before the camping trip. Just in case." He meandered through a side alley near the school, just wearing First Tsurugi today; he really didn't need any of the others with him or so he reasoned. He sniffed the air, not catching anything but the scent of distant rain. "Maybe a seedier alley..." the hunter took a few more steps and found a darker area that seemed to go on for a ways, the sound of an approaching thunderstorm in the still, warm air. Choosing that path, he walked on, checking for scents where he could.

A few human scents came to him after a few minutes of traveling the light denied path, heavy and off-putting. He made a face, the smell dissimilar to the the usual scents of the city's populace which generally permeated the busy metropolis. Cloud blew air out of his nose, trying to get a clean trail going. There weren't any werewolf trails at all, but he did pick up the scent of human blood; he wandered further in, seeing where he'd be lead.

"Someone is bleeding..." He said softly to the cat, who hummed back.

Cloud hummed as well, stopping at an entrance to a warehouse after another minute of walking, the stink of blood thick here. Hands on his hips he looked the building up and down, a wooden door in front of him and metal roller doors to his right; he put an ear to the door, hearing something muffled. Shrugging, he checked the door, and it was unlocked. The warrior let himself into the darkness of the warehouse, using the stealth techniques Yuffie had taught him several years ago to keep his footfalls soft; he sniffed the air silently as he moved, making out several humans. Were they still around?

In the dark he made out a mass on the ground, clearly a young man with the scent of blood heavy about him. Cloud walked up to the groaning man to check on him; he was still conscious. He shook a shoulder as he went for a hi-potion in his leg pocket, hoping he wasn't too far gone. "Hey...What happened to you?" The warrior doused the most grievous wound with the ochre liquid, the stab wound closing just enough.

The man coughed. "Local street gang..." As he looked up, the hunter noticed the victim had a black eye; the victim noticing the eerie glow of his rescuer's eyes, a very rare sight these days.

Cloud grunted, looking about. "This close to the school?" the warrior looked over the man some more, noticing the tie and pants. "You're a teacher?" He fished around for another potion to keep the man stable.

"...Yeah." The teacher winced as more liquid smeared his wounds, stinging as it knitted them together again; the worst of it was healed, but he'd need a stay at the clinic to make sure there wasn't permanent damage and perhaps stitches.

"What did they want?"

The man shrugged, sitting up and holding his side. "Just wanted to start trouble. Took my wallet..." he patted his pockets, sighing. "Said they'd be back later. I don't know how long it's been..."

Cloud nodded in the darkness, his glowing eyes narrowing. "Can you walk now?"

He helped the teacher get up, the man still woozy from blood loss. "I wouldn't be able to get very far."

The warrior nodded, supporting the stabbing victim. "I see. I'm going to hide you for now, then." he looked about, and found an area surrounded by smaller shipping containers. The hunter moved him towards it, keeping him hidden from the wide space he laid in earlier. "I'm going to take care of the little street gang."

"Are you crazy? They've got weapons. I don't even know how you found me..." The teacher gazed up into the glowing eyes, unsure if he could handle a group of armed hooligans; he was unaware of the sword on Cloud's back.

Cloud snorted. "This is gonna be a cakewalk." he walked away towards the light switch on the other side of the warehouse and sliced through it, cleaving the metal coated wires and burrowing through the cinder-block wall as well; then jumping on top of a pile of large crates he waited, peeling off his left hand glove and tossing it onto the crate he rested upon.

Cait Sith dismounted, sitting next to his friend while picking up the glove. "You're gonna put on a show, laddy?"

Cloud nodded, then looked down at the cat. "Reeve. It's your call how far I go with this."

The cat shrugged. "Give them a warning first, then...do what you have to do. It's no different than the old days, isn't it?"

"Fair enough." It wasn't like either of them hadn't killed thieves and gangsters before. He remembered one time as they went through Junon for supplies a few gangsters had tried to make off with Tifa after hitting her with a sleep spell, and both of them had furiously gone to rescue the young pugilist. Cait Sith's moogle had pulped one of them against a wall, and Cloud gleefully bisected the other before he had a chance to flee. Neither of them had told Tifa what happened, the former infantryman carrying her bridal style out of the alley as he waited for her to wake up. She stirred, her ruby eyes dazzling in the setting sun.

"Cloud...what happened? Why are you carrying me like this..."

"...You tripped." He had said flatly, trying to avoid those glowing pools of red and orange staring into his tainted eyes.

Cloud was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of a door opening, and he saw five figures wander into the warehouse; one tried flicking the light switch to no avail, deciding they needed to check the circuit breaker. The warrior crouched, waiting for them to go further into his temporary lair before locking them inside. His instincts twinged, but he quelled them for the time being; he doubted they'd take his offer. More fun for him.

"Hey, where the hell did that wimp go?" said one, shining a flashlight at the blood pool. A shadow leapt towards the door behind them.

Another hummed, the light shining towards the teacher's location. "Oh, there he is. Didn't get so far, did ya pussy?" The teacher looked about for his rescuer, wondering where he had gone.

Click. Footsteps echoed in the dark. "You're the little gang that attacked that guy over there?" light shone into his eyes, making him squint a moment before adjusting to it.

"God damn it. Who the hell are you, and why shouldn't I give you the same hospitality I gave that one?" The warrior noticed the gang member motion with his head. He heard the click of a switchblade, and behind him the sound of a metal bat scraping the ground.

Cloud smirked in the dark, a tingle in his left arm as he stretched his hand. "You have one chance to just walk away and stop with your pathetic gang crap. Take it, or die. Which one will it be?"

He heard the footsteps behind him get closer and closer as he stared down the other two in front of him. One started chuckling. "You're in over your head, little bitch."

"That's too bad." Cloud slammed his claws through the back attacker's face as he changed his left lower arm, focusing on just that bit of change he needed to kill the gangster; the bat clattered to the ground, the teacher yelping as violent actions happened unseen to his eyes. Gore splattered in the dark as he recoiled his hand and turned to face the other two, pulling out First Tsurugi as a chain connected to his clawed forearm. "I gave you a chance." he growled, his eyes giving a feral glower to the two in front of him.

One tried to go in for a stab with his knife, Cloud deftly slicing him through the middle and effectively bringing darkness to the arena of death; he yanked on the chain connected to his furry arm and impaled the other opponent with his claws, then tore upward, disemboweling the attacker; the sound of liquid splashing on the concrete filled the area. Leaping onto the crates he looked about for the last two, his instincts craving just a little more blood.

A bullet whizzed past and he looked towards the back of the warehouse within the small maze of crates; the two had gone to the back in search of the circuit breakers. Leaping down and towards them he disappeared into the darkness again, watching their flashlights wave about in confusion.

"Yo! Someone kill that crazy motherfucker!"

"I already did." Shink. Claws went through the troublemaker's back and through his chest. His warped face grinned at the final opponent, the man equipped with a flash light and a baton.

The panicking man swung his weapon about, yelling. "What the hell are you?!"

Cloud decapitated the flailing gangster swiftly, then sheathed his weapon, saying nothing as he refocused on his arm before the transformation climbed up any further into his body. _'I want my clothing intact...'_ He stood there a few moments, flexing as the hand went back to its usual shape, covered in sticky blood. Satisfied, he tore off the back of the shirt of his last victim, and wiped his hand off. The warrior heard shuffling, and he quickly made his way out of the meandering maze of crates, finally meeting the injured teacher again in the near darkness, a flashlight's beam aimed at the approaching warrior.

The young man looked up at him, unsure what would happen next after the bloodbath; he seemed to be searching one of the corpses for something. The warrior eventually seemed to find what he was looking for, holding it in front of the wary teacher.

"Is this your wallet?" The teacher nodded, taking it and placing it in a back pocket.

The hunter helped him up, propping him up with his body; slowly he made his way to the exit and outside as Cait Sith bounded after him, scrambling onto his back and looking over his shoulder as he carried the glove he was entrusted with. Outside the sound of thunder grew closer, the sun blocked by approaching storm clouds.

"Laddy, we should take'em tae Doctor Drake!" The cat squeaked.

Cloud nodded. He looked back at the teacher, looking him up and down as he kept a steady pace. "Are you okay like this, or do you want me to carry you?" It was going to rain soon.

"Nah. I'm good." he heaved a heavy sigh. "You...sure took care of them, huh?"

"They had a chance to leave."

"Right." The teacher looked away, observing the school as they passed it by on their way to the clinic. "First year at this school."

Cloud gave a chuckle. "Is that so? My kids go there."

The injured man looked back at his rescuer. "You have kids?"

"We aren't related by blood. But, we're a family." The warrior replied simply. He looked up, feeling a raindrop splatter on his head. _'I wonder if I'll smell like a wet dog, too.'_ He thought humorously.

After walking silently the rest of the way as the wind picked up and the sky released drizzle, they finally made it to Dr. Drake's clinic, the doctor turning to the sound of his door chime. He hurriedly motioned towards an examination table as he eyed the blood on the victim's shirt, Cloud helping the teacher onto it. The injured man noticed a discomfort in the warrior's eyes, the blue orbs shifting this way and that.

"What happened to him?" The doctor asked.

"Gang attacked him." Cloud pulled some money out of his wallet, wanting to leave as soon as he could. "He'll probably need stitches. Anyway, I'm outta here. Good luck at your new school." He gave the teacher a nod, then made his way towards the exit. The warrior left quickly, Cait Sith hanging off of his pauldron lazily. "Guess I didn't bag one today." He said indignantly as he walked home.

"But ye saved some poor bloke from bleedin' tae death!" The robot squeaked as he handed Cloud's glove back to him, the man placing it back on his hand.

Cloud snorted, looking down as the drizzle became rain. "There's that. School's safer now, too." If they had done anything to his family, he probably would have ended up slowly killing them just to send home the point that it was a very bad idea to set up shop near a school. Looking towards the finished Meteor Monument, he headed towards home quickly as he enjoyed the ambiance of the city he called home and the scent of rain on warm pavement.

The warrior hurried down his street, watching the flow of people on the somewhat narrow street as the storm came in. As he came closer the angel statue came into view, the fixture like a guardian keeping watch over the street. He sniffled casually, then frowned, scents not yet washed away by the lazy rain. Cloud sniffed again as he came closer to the bar, the scents still there in the evening air. _'What are they doing here?'_ Another scent suddenly made it to his nose as a breeze hit his back; he gazed behind him to see Elena at Evan's place, the dog she had on a leash staring right at him as she spoke to someone in the doorway as an umbrella protected her from the slowly increasing rain.

"To hell with this..." Cloud swiftly walked into the busy bar, looking about; he had gotten home before getting soaked, the storm not quite ready to gush over the city. His eyes locked onto the counter, noticing the two men he would have to humor during a mission to Kalm; their backs were to him, Tifa talking to them here and there when she wasn't filling glasses or cooking meals. She looked up and waved, Ichi and Merle looking back and recognizing him immediately. The spiky headed warrior sighed, walking towards them. "...What brings you two back here?" he asked dryly as Marlene sneaked a hug before busying herself again.

"I told him we may as well get used to each other, if we gotta work on a mission together." Ichi said, Merle glaring at him momentarily.

"...Rosa wanted to see Zeph. But don't think for a moment I trust you alone with her." Merle said curtly.

Cloud nodded. "Fair enough. I'll be right back." He went past the counter and towards the garage, Merle relaxing his tension; the children were playing upstairs together. Tifa had been mostly friendly towards them both, asking questions of the other but not truly breaching any heavy inquiries. Ichi was the one who would ask, Merle sitting and listening while nursing his beer.

"That's a terrible shame what happened to Rosa's parents." Tifa said sadly as she worked on a customer's drink, Marlene coming to take it. "I'm glad she had someone to take her in, at least." All of them knew there were plenty of orphans not quite so fortunate.

"Yeah." Merle said quietly.

"So how come Cloud teaches kids how to fight?" Ichi inquired, relaxing more.

"We aren't always there when they need us. The night Zeph wandered off, he knew just enough to fend off that thing until we made it there." Tifa said as she wiped down the counter.

"You didn't have to knock me out, ya know." Merle grumbled.

"Sorry! But we couldn't have one of you finding out. I guess it doesn't matter now." The bartender blushed, remembering how she knocked the poor man out.

Cloud walked out of the garage at that point, walking towards the two men as he eyed them. Something was in his hand, difficult to make out in the low light of the bar. The warrior came from behind the counter, the two peacekeepers watching him in kind. He extended his hand, exposing two guns held on by a finger each. "I think you'll need these."

They both hesitated a moment, then took back their personal weapons silently. "Thanks." Ichi mumbled. Cloud sat in the seat next to them, tapping his fingers on the counter as Cait Sith crawled off his perch. The man was looking down at the granite top, collecting his thoughts as the two peacekeepers waited for him to speak.

"I...came across some information this morning." He looked about, making sure no one was in earshot, then leaned a little closer, Tifa leaning towards him on her side of the counter. "When the bar closes, I'll spill it. It's important." Cloud looked about again, the bar emptier than it had been when he entered. Thunder rumbled, making the warrior frown as he left his seat and headed behind the counter again. "I'm gonna check on Denzel." He went up the stairs, smirking at Merle's grumbles as he went up the stairs, Tifa telling him to calm down.

Walking through the hallway, he picked up Zeph and Rosa's voices in the boy's room before opening the door to Marlene and Denzel's room. Peeking into the dark room he noticed Denzel wasn't there. Shutting the door he walked towards Zeph's room, and hesitantly knocked on the door. Footsteps creaked closer, and then the door opened with the boy's green eyes looking up at him softly.

"Hey, Cloud."

"Hi, Zeph. Have you seen Denzel?" The warrior inquired.

Zeph nodded. "He's in here." The boy opened the door more, Cloud cautiously entering the room; Rosa was warily eying him. He blushed, scratching the back of his neck.

"...Sorry about last night." Looking away, he found Denzel, the boy sitting in a corner with a scared look on his face. Cloud sat next to him, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulder. Denzel buried his face into the man's shirt, his breathing calming down.

Rosa fidgeted, then sat on Zeph's bed. "I-it's okay...You didn't mean to scare me, right?" It's what her friend said, anyway.

Cloud chuckled. "Can't help it on Full Moons." He sighed, rubbing Denzel's back as the child calmed down. There had been another one somewhere, one Reno and Rude killed. What if they had met it first? He didn't want to think about it.

Zeph sat by the other wall by his door. "Did you get any today?" he asked hopefully.

The warrior shook his head. "No. Saved a teacher from a stupid gang near the school, though."

Denzel peeked upwards. "There's a gang by the school?"

"Not anymore." He gave a shy smile.

"I thought you hunted in the slums, Cloud." Zeph was curious as to why the warrior was searching so close to home.

"I heard from someone I know that they killed a werewolf last night. It was too close to the alleys you guys were using, so I searched around for any more." Cloud said.

The boy's eyes lit up. "That Reno guy, was it him?" Cloud nodded. "He must be pretty strong, too."

"He's a Turk. Works for Shinra."

Rosa piped up. "I've heard of them! My parents used to work for Shinra..." She looked down, sad. "Valdt, he..."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Cloud said, still comforting Denzel as the worst of the storm passed by. There was silence for a time, then the werewolf focused on the sounds of the bar downstairs; it was far more quiet than it was twenty minutes ago. He looked down at Denzel, the boy almost asleep. "Hey...Denzel. I need to go downstairs." Thunder boomed again, the boy cringing. "You can stay next to me."

Making their way downstairs, Cloud looked about; Tifa was locking the front door of the bar as Ichi and Merle sat waiting to hear the new information the man had acquired earlier. Denzel was still hiding his face in Cloud's shirt as he stood in front of the bar, the duo swiveling their chairs to face him. Tifa walked over to his side, and Cait Sith perched on the chair next to Ichi.

Cloud gathered his thoughts. "There's no werewolves in Kalm."

"Laddy, where'd you hear aboot this?" Cait Sith squeaked.

"Reno."

"Of the Turks?" Ichi said incredulously. Why would a Turk talk to him?

Cloud nodded. "He came over to talk to me this morning. Said they're checking the cities and towns for werewolves, trying to get a census going. They found werewolves going to and from Kalm, but no one permanently there."

"Do you believe him?" Merle asked, curious.

Cait Sith spoke up. "We had hounds and intelligence over the area...Is Reno sure?"

Cloud nodded. "He said Elena checked a week ago with a hound the WRO let her have."

"...So, they stole it."

"Probably." Cloud tried to hide his smile, imagining the exasperated face Reeve was making right now.

Ichi frowned. "Then what are we going to do in Kalm?"

"If there's no werewolves, what's the point?" Merle said gruffly.

Cait Sith bounced his foot. "Curious, very curious. I'm going to send someone out before the mission...and get ahold of Rufus Shinra."

"What could it be?" Tifa pondered aloud.

Cloud shrugged. "Something to do with werewolves and children. So, nothing good." It was ironic to him, considering he had a child clinging to him for some semblance of comfort.

"Guess we'll find out in a couple of days." Ichi said, then looked up at Cloud. "What to do in the meantime?"

Another shrug. "Do what you want. I'm going on a camping trip the day after tomorrow, so we won't be around until we get back."

"How long will that be?"

"Probably two days. Right before the kids go back to school."

Tifa took out her phone, Cloud obviously not one to give his number to either of them. "In case we need to contact each other..."


	35. Precarious Situations

Stuffing the tent into the back of the rental truck, Cloud wiped his hands, satisfied with his work on cramming their supplies into the limited space while leaving enough room for the boys. Not that it was that much, but the truck had a smaller bed than he would have liked. He looked up at the morning sky, Tifa preparing the children as Yuffie probably distracted them; he smiled at the thought.

Yuffie had gotten word that they were taking a camping trip and barged into Seventh Heaven yesterday, demanding to work the bar while they were gone. Tifa accepted after much moaning from the young ninja, who claimed to be bored out of her mind in Junon; she also wanted to be a bit closer to the Kalm informant if they fished out any information before the family came back.

"I really do enjoy runnin' the bar, all things considered." She said sincerely.

Tifa smiled, the ninja familiar with working in the bar. "Just keep to drinks, Yuffie. Like last time."

They had told Yuffie of Merle and Ichi, the friends having left the bar that one night on better terms than in the past; Merle still had a noticeable grudge against Cloud that the werewolf understood all too well, not holding it against him. He was certain his own reaction to one of his friends being killed would be no less stubborn. Was no less stubborn.

But, he thought, there's a big difference in the intentions. _'Doesn't matter to those affected...'_ Cloud shrugged the thoughts away. Today would be a good day, he would make sure of that.

Slowly, the family appeared from the front of the bar, Marlene barging into the front of the truck as Cloud helped the boys into the back of the truck's flatbed; he kept them close to the window in case they needed Tifa or he. Both were excited to leave the city, and in the back of a truck no less. Finally, Tifa sat herself next to Marlene as Cloud got in the driver's seat and started the vehicle.

He drove at a steady pace and much slower than he was used to when he would do deliveries. Cloud could hear the cheers of the boys whenever they hit a bump in the road, making them jump; Marlene would play I spy with Tifa, and sometimes he would play with them.

"I spy, with my little eye...something brown." the little girl said.

"A rock?" Cloud dead-panned.

"Cloud!" she giggled.

"Is it that wagon?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah!"

Beyond the border of the Midgar Wastes they left the truck to eat a packed lunch, Cloud ushering the boys towards a bush to use the bathroom as he watched out for any monsters. Walking back, the children ran about him happily, enjoying the fields of the Junon area. Cloud smiled, his new venue had given him more time with his family; he could finally bond with the kids more, and spend more time with Tifa. He rubbed the ring on his chest and looked towards a waiting Tifa.

"We're almost there..." Cloud mumbled, slowly driving off the road and towards the front of Penny's forest, the same path he took the first time he made his way in, oblivious to the kindly werewolf residing within. He took a deep breath, hoping the bumps wouldn't make him vomit up his small lunch later; he moved slightly from side to side as he tried to distract himself. "Ugh."

"Are you okay?" Tifa inquired.

"...Yeah. I'll be fine, Teef."

Looking about the wooded path, he pressed the gas to keep from getting stuck in a dip. Denzel and Zeph were whooping as they bounced about the flatbed; Cloud wanted to find a place deep enough in but not get the truck stuck. _'Not that I couldn't move it if I had to...'_

Traveling a path that measured about half a mile in, he decided that was as far as he could take the vehicle. It lead to a small area clear of trees, big enough for the tent and the truck and next to one of the creeks.

They left the truck and looked about the dark forest, Cloud leaning against the vehicle and taking deep breaths; after a few minutes he went to work on the tent as Tifa went about with the children for firewood. She took them towards an area that looked rich with broken branches and twigs, the kids happily picking up what they considered the best branches. Denzel and Zeph play fought with some of the branches, Marlene watching on and giggling at their antics as they sparred with fat, short branches.

"Tifa, you used to do this when you and Cloud traveled the planet, right?" Marlene asked.

The woman nodded. "I used to do this with Yuffie and..." she brought her eyes down, then picked up another stick. "I also did a lot of the cooking." Looking back up, she gave the girl a small smile.

Tifa bent down again, listening to the children behind her as she went to pick up yet another branch. Rustling in front of her made Tifa immediately look up, searching the woods as she backed away. It was heavy footfalls, quickly coming to her location. The pugilist made her way to the children, telling them to come closer to her as she put her pile of branches down; they quieted as Tifa stood defensively in front of the children as the sound grew close.

A moment later a brown werewolf exited the bushes surrounding the trees, panting and looking at the group excitedly ten feet away. Its face was a paler brown than its furry body. Zeph let out a scream, hiding behind a terrified Tifa who kept her composure; the werewolf whined, shrinking down to the ground. Tifa's brows knotted, and she looked into the green eyes of the beast. "Penny?"

The werewolf's ears perked up, something akin to a smile growing on the muzzle as quick crunching approached from behind Tifa.

Tifa relaxed. "I guess you heard us coming."

Cloud was right behind her, then immediately calmed down as he recognized who was in front of him. "Hey, Penny."

Penny trotted towards a large tree nearby and disappeared behind it. A few moments later her head popped out from behind it, smiling. "Hi! Sorry if I spooked you, I guess I forgot my manners..." The teen disappeared again, and after a minute appeared in front of them, wearing a casual green dress. "I have these tucked away around the forest!"

Tifa came up to her and gave her a hug, the werewolf returning the gesture happily. "It's good to see you again. How is Ithey?"

"He's doing a lot better now! I think the soup helped." Penny smiled, walking with Tifa towards the rest of the group. She looked up at Cloud. "Find a good spot?"

Cloud nodded as Tifa picked up her wood pile. "Yeah, I almost have the tent up. Wanna look?"

She nodded, and the group made their way to the campsite, Zeph holding onto Cloud's hand as if his life depended on it. The warrior gave a reassuring squeeze, looking down at the boy with a soft smile. The tent was nearly finished, a few stakes needed to secure the shelter to the ground. It was large enough for the small family, with three sections; Cloud had already put the icebox in the center section to keep the food from being exposed to wandering animals.

Penny helped him with the stakes as Tifa made a campfire, showing the children how to make a proper pit. "You have to dig a little bit, make a bowl shape in the dirt..." The children helped, the boys getting dirt everywhere as they assisted. The woman giggled, then stopped their earnest digging; the hole was big and wide enough. Next she found some stones to circle the shallow pit, placing them around the hole before dumping some of the firewood in.

She arranged it, twigs and leaves as kindling to keep it going. "Okay, now we light it up!"

"How are we gonna do that?" Zeph asked.

Tifa took out a small piece of materia. "The old fashioned way might take too long. This is a weak materia, but it'll do what we need it to do."

Denzel's eyes lit up at the sight of the softly glowing green orb. "Man, I can't wait until you and Cloud teach us how to use that!"

She frowned. "In a couple of years, I promise. You're still a bit too young."

"Cloud said we gotta work on clearing our minds before he'll teach us." Zeph said; and he took the offer seriously.

Tifa nodded, then turned to focus on the orb in her hand. A familiar click went through her mind, and a small 'whoosh' set the wood on fire. Penny watched from her crouched position on the ground, her mouth in an 'O' shape as the material spontaneously combusted. Tifa sighed from the mental tweak of the materia, and watched the flames flicker as she put the materia back in a small pouch on her hip.

A while later and the boys were fishing about in the creek with Penny, the teen showing them where frogs and other harmless creatures liked to hide. Zeph's wariness of her waned little by little, figuring Cloud and Tifa would keep them safe regardless; he wanted to find a frog to best the one he caught that day his guardian took him to see green nature for the first time.

"Hey," Penny whispered, "this place holds some big black frogs." It was a bend in the creek that was further shaded from any sunlight that filtered past the leaves of old trees, cold and slightly deeper than the shin grazing depths they played in. The boys peered at the slippery rocks, noticing several fat, lazy frogs laying about. Denzel grinned.

"Which one do you think Marlene would like the most?" He whispered to Zeph, their guide focused on the frogs and not at all on their schemes.

Zeph eyed an exceptionally large, black frog laying about, and pointed at it with a growing smile. "That one."

As the boys went about trying to capture their prey and Tifa worked around the campfire, Marlene looked about the forest with Cloud, searching for a clearing that would hold some wildflowers the girl loved to pick. He held her hand, finding the scent of flowers as he filtered out the smell of deer and other wildlife he hoped to sneak out to hunt sometime during their trip. Right now, the children having fun is what was most important to him.

Marlene looked up at him. "Can you smell flowers yet?"

"Yeah, we're getting closer." He said, sniffing the forest air.

After a few more minutes of searching they came across a small flower field, the girl charging through the clearing as Cloud took his time to meet her as she crouched down to examine which flowers she would like to take back. The girl was humming a children's song to herself, Cloud listening as he looked about to make sure no stray monsters were near; a child is a quick snack to even the weak monsters of the Junon area. He breathed in the fresh air, filled with the scent of trees and beasts and flowers.

He wasn't sure if he preferred this forest setting or the city any more; he loved the amenities of Edge and that connection with other people, that connection with a city he protected as his home. On the other hand, prowling the city would be exceptionally dangerous, especially with knowledge of the existence of werewolves fresh in the minds of the large populous. Here, he could let loose without trouble of humans discovering him. A hand up to his chin and his eyes closed, he continued to think. _'I should find my own forest territory nearby. Someplace safer than the Midgar Wastes.'_

A soft sensation floated over his shoulders that broke him out of his thoughts, and he opened his eyes with a raised brow. "Mm?" Looking down Marlene was looking up at him with a smile, and he looked towards his chest; the girl had made a wildflower necklace for him. He smiled at Marlene and picked her up as she grasped her little flower basket, giving the child a squeeze as he carried her back to camp in the soft, waning light.

"Thank you, Marlene."

* * *

Alone, Tifa worked about the campfire, looking for the metal grill to place over the fire to cook their dinner. Finding it in the truck, she gingerly placed it over the campfire, then went to the icebox for a plastic bag full of burger patties. She separated and placed the patties on the grill, then washed her hands in the nearby creek with the soap they had brought. _'He's probably going to wanna hunt during the trip...'_ It still felt funny, thinking that. She thought perhaps not enough time had passed to think of it as normal still, this new normal getting used to like a very hot bath for the both of them. The worst was over, she hoped, and perhaps they can just live their life as they did before Cloud was infected.

It had worked so far, when everything was quiet. At least the children acclimated to it easily.

She watched the cooking food, the forest slowly dimming as evening took hold. The air held a slight chill to it, a reminder that autumn was on the way; since Cloud would be staying closer to home because of his new job she hoped their household would miss the cold virus that would inevitably visit them during the cooler months from his travels. Two years ago had been the worst experience by far, everyone horribly sick including Cloud, despite his strange body.

Tifa had been sniffling over a large pot of soup she had been making for the family, shivering and sweating at the same time. The children stayed home from school that week, their bodies too tired from fighting off the sickness. Cloud had come downstairs to the kitchen, wrapped in a blanket; his rheumy, guilt-filled eyes looked at Tifa as she stirred the contents of the pot.

"...Sorry." His voice was impeded by his stuffed nose, and he breathed through his mouth.

Tifa gave a half smile. "People get sick, Cloud." She handed him a bowl, and put another one in her hand. "Let's feed the kids, before they have something else to complain about."

Cloud had given her a tired smile in return, having had to give them medicine that tasted 'icky' or tissues that weren't soft enough. "Hopefully they like the soup. If they can taste anything besides medicine, that is."

Tifa snapped out of her memories when she heard sloshing approaching her, the sound of the boys excitedly chattering growing louder. A few moments later and the three appeared in the creek, Denzel holding the biggest frog she had ever seen. Normal frogs, not monster frogs. Tifa eyed it then the boys, raising a brow. "I see you've been busy, guys."

Zeph came up to her and sat next to the fire, trying to dry off. "Penny showed us where they were." He turned around to face the smiling teen, and smiled back. "Thanks for helping us find them!"

"You're welcome! It's kinda nice having someone to show off all these places to." She sat next to him, trying to dry off the lower part of her dress. Penny looked up, hearing footsteps from the woods coming closer. "I guess Cloud is almost here, I can hear him." She pointed in the direction of the sound.

Tifa was flipping the patties now, and preparing a plate for their dinner. "Penny, did you want to eat with us?"

"Oh, well, maybe. I was going to eat a little later..." She said shyly, Tifa nodding.

"That's fine, Penny. If you change your mind, we have plenty."

Cloud appeared a few moments later, holding Marlene as she chattered to him. He put her down as they made their way into the campsite, the girl jogging up to Tifa to give her a hug and show off her flower collection. Cloud sat next to his wife, giving her a small smile as he showed her Marlene's little gift to him.

* * *

"So, like, there's a naughty dog runnin' around the neighborhood?" Yuffie feigned surprise as she fumbled with a mixed drink for the Turk. Cloud had told her before he had left to look out for any Turks, especially Elena; they were doing their damnedest to find all the werewolves they possibly could.

Elena gave the ninja a pout, as if she wasn't taking the news seriously enough. "Come on, Yuffie...This is serious. The scent around the bar really drives that dog crazy..."

"An alcoholic werewolf?" The ninja looked as if she were pondering.

"I don't even know if they drink or not. Look, if Cloud's not interested in his job-"

Yuffie waved her hand dismissively. "Y'know, he has to deal with those things a lot. Maybe the hound is picking up on that? Cloud lives here, after all."

Elena sighed, holding the drink she ordered. "He better be careful. Last thing we need to deal with is him of all people getting infected." She took a sip of her drink, pondering. The Turk had her suspicions, though Evan blew off everything Kyrie was saying to her that evening as rain soaked the street.

"Oh, tender feelings?" The aspiring bartender swayed her hips with a mischievous grin.

The Turk snorted into her glass. "He's a handful as it is, whether he's a friend or not. Anyway, when Cloud gets back from that camping trip of his, I guess I'll ask him what the deal is." She took another sip of her drink, then frowned. "Camping...the closest woods to the city are the Junon forests."

"Y-yeah, so?"

"Well, we found one in one of the forests, not much on it yet. Reno and Rude were gonna do some surveillance tonight, maybe they'll give a visit." Perhaps she wouldn't need to confront him, after all.

Yuffie's face drained of all color. "How are they not gonna get killed, now?" She knew well enough they wouldn't attack the Turks unless they did first, but of all nights...

"It's the same stuff they did in Nibelheim, jeeze. They aren't going to go after it just yet, only collect intel." Elena rolled her eyes, then looked back at the ninja. "Um, I'm only telling you because Cloud's out there, and..."

"We have a funny dynamic."

The Turk nodded. It was true, the Turks and AVALANCHE had been a thorn in each other's sides, and unwitting saviors. Help and hinder. Elena finished her drink and gave her host a nod and a faint smile goodbye, promising she'd be keeping watch over the area before leaving.

Yuffie waved her out, then quickly locked the door after the Turk had left the empty bar. She took out her phone to group text Tifa and Cloud, pacing as she waited for an answer from either of them. She had never met the teen wolf before, but the stories about her made her seem like someone that shouldn't be hunted down like a common monster. Her phone vibrated, and she brought it up to her slightly panicked face.

 **You're kidding.** It was Tifa.

 **I wish I was! Where's Furball?**

 **He's hunting with Penny.**

 **Oh. I guess he's not near his phone, then.**

 **Probably not. I can't leave camp, the kids are with me.**

 **Could you make a sound with something?**

 **Maybe. I think Denzel brought his whistle.**

 **Okay, good! Keep me posted!** Yuffie put her phone away, a heavy sigh on her lips. She went upstairs, looking for Cait Sith. _'Reeve should know what the Turks are up to...'_

* * *

"Hey, Rude. Check'em out!" Reno whispered from his perch, looking through his thermal vision goggles. A hundred yards away and twenty feet below them, two large, whitish creatures were stalking another in the forest, silently coordinating an ambush. Rude gave a nod as he looked through his own, watching the spectacle. "Tseng said a few do this..."

The larger one crept close as the smaller one circled around, the wind not yet giving away the positions of the predators as they entrapped the deer. Reno watched with interest, getting a show and pondering who the large alpha male was. Was he a newcomer, the previously found wolf's mate? Did she turn him or did he come from the city? The Turk had a lot of questions, but he doubted he'd get answers from the naturally aggressive beasts. He found it disappointing. _'Maybe we can capture one for a chat some day.'_

He heard a cry, and the smaller werewolf had spooked the deer into the waiting jaws of the large alpha. He shook the neck once, seemingly snapping it; the monster seemed to study its prey as the female came over, and they looked at each other before either one ate from opposite limbs. _'Oh, they're sharing. Interesting.'_

The two watched for many minutes, and neither of the werewolves showed any sort of aggression towards each other as they consumed the deer. Reno sniffled, rubbing his nose. As much as he enjoyed observing the werewolves, he didn't enjoy being out in the field unless it consisted of a cityscape or the helicopter. Rude shifted on the large branch they sat on, and it released a creak; they both bit their lips and silently damned their luck for getting a noisy perch. Reno looked back at the feasting wolves, and the large one was looking towards their direction with a cocked head. After a moment it returned to what it was doing, and the Turks relaxed.

 _'That was a close one...'_ Reno continued to watch, biting his lip; this time of year brought about allergies, and he was out of medication until the next batch was ready in Junon. Rude looked over at him with what would be an inscrutable face to anyone but the cocky redhead, who looked back and gave a thumbs up as small tears welled inside his goggles. He quickly pinched his nose, attempting to will himself not to sneeze. Finally under control, he gave a light sigh, averting potential disaster.

"Achoo!"

"We might have trouble, Reno." Rude grumbled. They both looked down, the two werewolves looking about their direction; the one almost looked like he was frowning as he cautiously walked towards their position, sniffing. The redhead got out his rod, ready to jump the monster if it got too close. He tensed as it came ever closer, but then it stopped; it seemed to hear something of interest from its left, and began to stalk in that direction with the female. They quickly disappeared into the foliage, ignoring the perched Turks.

Reno let out a sigh. "Looks like something else caught their ear."

"...Elena said Strife was camping in one of the Junon woods." Rude said.

"Damn. You think those werewolves heard one of the kids, maybe? If that's them. Strife chose the wrong woods to take his family, yo." His eyes widened and he looked around as a louder creak broke the silence of the forest and he felt his position sink; a loud snap like a gunshot rang out in the forest and the two fell to the forest floor, grunting as their bodies fell on soft foliage. The two glanced up and saw nothing out of place on the ground, and they dusted themselves off.

"Let's follow'em." Reno moved as silently as he could through the forest, Rude following with his gun out in case of an ambush.

"Not our smartest idea." Rude said.

Reno shrugged, grinning. Even though one had tried to kill him, he found them fascinating. "We'll be fine."

* * *

 ** _'A whistle...Something is wrong at the camp, maybe?'_** He still wondered who sneezed in the hidden limbs of the trees, but the camp took precedent over his curiosity. Cloud swiftly made his way through the forest, hoping to catch where he left his clothing that he had placed on the other side of the creek's bank. Penny trotted beside him, her ears swinging front to back as she listened for pursuers. He ran on, sniffing for the tree he stripped at. His ears perked at the high pitched tweets coming from his right; Cloud followed it blindly, uncaring of the small bruises marring his clawed appendages as he smacked them against a stone or log here or there.

The scent and sound of flowing water reached him, and soon after a warm orange glow from beyond the foliage; he was back at the camp! Cloud paused a moment, looking this way and that as he thought, then found his clothing. He motioned with his head at Penny to go into camp after he peeked through the foliage to make sure it wasn't an emergency, like a monster attack; Tifa waved at him as the children sat about the fire. Cloud changed as he hid behind the large tree, quickly donning his shirt and pants as footsteps made their way to his ears. _'We were followed...'_ He had enough time to put on his socks and boots before Reno and Rude, of all people, appeared from behind the trunk.

Cloud stared at them slack-jawed. "Reno, Rude...Fancy meeting you here." Now he knew why Tifa was whistling. He rubbed his mouth in case any deer leftovers stained his face. It was still too dark for them to see, or at least he hoped it was so.

Reno took his thermal goggles off. "Same, yo." He looked around suspiciously. "There were two werewolves headed this way, yo. I'm gonna assume you didn't see them, right?"

"Nope."

Rude grumbled behind his partner, Reno scratching the back of his head. "We followed it to this area, and you didn't see it?"

Cloud blushed in the dim light. "I just got up here, Reno. I heard something, so I came to investigate." He frowned. "What are you two doing here?"

"Investigating the werewolf that lives here. Guess it's two, now." Reno said with a chuckle, Cloud's eyes widening; they were the ones making all that noise earlier. The Turk looked towards the glow beyond the foliage. "And you must be camping." Cloud confirmed with the grumpy look he gave Reno.

The warrior looked away dismissively. "If they're in the woods and away from people, what does it matter?"

"What, got a soft spot for the things you hunt, now? They're near your family..." Reno was grinning.

Cloud crossed his arms. "No...I'm not interested in killing them if they aren't killing humans."

The redhead nodded. "Well, those would tend to be low on our radar, too. Still gotta find'em, yo." He narrowed his eyes, Cloud not enjoying the look he was being given. "You sure you didn't see anything? Damn things seemed to disappear around here..."

"...Nothing." He chewed his lip; if he fessed up he could keep Penny safe, but then he'd have yet another group of people he didn't need knowing about what seemed to be an open secret. "I..."

"You what?"

Cloud swallowed. "...I know the werewolf that lives here."

Reno raised a brow, obviously intrigued. "Oh?"

"She's harmless. " He mumbled.

"How do you know her, yo?"

Cloud tried to come up with a suitable lie, it was never his strong suite. He sighed, not ready for any of this. "That's a secret." Better to just avoid the whole thing.

The Turk chuckled. "Is her mate a secret, too?" Reno snorted.

The warrior sighed. "Just some human teen that lives with her."

Rude grumbled. "There were two of them."

Reno nodded. "Y'sure she didn't change him, yo?"

"She wouldn't do that. They've been out here for years." Cloud said.

The redhead looked back at his partner, then back at the spiky headed warrior who anxiously glared at them. "Man, chill. Why so nervous?"

"Uh...There's a second one out there, so..." He turned towards the glow of the camp. "...and I don't know him."

"Eh, he didn't look that tough, anyway. Elena could probably beat it up, yo." Reno grinned. Before Cloud could grumpily retort, the Turk motioned towards the camp. "Mind if we take a break by the fire? The forest is kinda chilly."

Cloud sighed, looking at the ground and kicking a pebble. "Yeah, why not." He lead them into the camp, Reno complaining that he got water in his shoe as Rude stoically walked by. Tifa gave Cloud a concerned look and he nodded back reassuringly.

The two sat opposite the children by the fire, Reno taking his shoes and socks off to dry them off. Zeph caught his eye and he winked, the child giving a nod and smile back at the werewolf killing Turk. Marlene and Denzel looked back between them and their guardians, the two whispering to each other.

"Hey, Cloud. You said you knew the one around here? Mind if we talked to her?" Reno asked hopefully. He waved his hands at the reluctant look on the warrior's face, dismissing his worry. "Promise we aren't gonna hurt her, yo."

"...That's up to her, if she's around that is." Cloud turned around, hearing splashes coming from the creek; Penny's silhouette brightened as she came closer to the campfire's glow.

"I couldn't find my dress right away, sorry..." The teen stared at the two strangers across the camp, the men watching her with raised brows. She looked over at Cloud with an uncertain look. "Cloud, who are they?"

He rubbed his tired face. "Turks. They've been keeping tabs on the werewolf population, and...they were sent here tonight to watch you." The warrior whispered.

Penny gasped, feeling horribly exposed. "How did they find me?"

Tifa shrugged, giving her a sympathetic look. "They're Turks. If their boss wants them to find someone, they'll find them. No one's safe from their reach."

Penny looked back and forth between her friends and the newcomers. The noises in the forest made so much more sense now, they were watching them. "What do they want from me?"

Cloud shook his head. "Just to talk." He looked over at them, his arms crossed. "If anything happens to her, I'm comin' after your boss. Got it?"

Reno rolled his eyes. "Sure, whatever, yo." He grinned at the teen, motioning her to sit near him. "Interviewing a werewolf that doesn't wanna snack on me, that's something I've wanted to do, yo." he quietly said to Rude, who only grunted.

"I don't understand the appeal." His partner responded, shrugging.

Tifa ushered the children into the tent, promising they would be back in a little while, then joined Cloud as he sat next to the fire, supervising the conversation. The redhead surprised the warrior with his politeness towards Penny, the teen slowly warming up to Reno as he asked questions with enthusiasm.

Tifa leaned on Cloud, whispering in his ear. "Do you think they'll leave her alone after this?"

He shrugged, watching them. "If they don't want me to kill Rufus." He could keep the WRO away from her, but Shinra was going to take threats to get his point across.

"So, who was your friend, yo?" Reno inquired.

Penny blinked. "My friend?"

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, you were huntin' with a bigger wolf, right?" he motioned towards Cloud, giving a teasing grin. "It's not like he has any idea who it is, or he just won't say it, yo."

The warrior blushed, looking away. Tifa whispered in his ear.

"They're gonna find out, if they haven't already."

Cloud grunted, annoyed at his luck. "Why can't a secret stay secret?"

Penny was red as can be, Reno obviously putting her on the spot. "Well, um..." She looked down, playing with her fingers.

"Is he tall, dark, and handsome?" Reno teased. Rude sighed, shaking his head as he put a hand up to his face.

"You've never been good at hiding anything but your feelings, Cloud." Tifa retorted softly. "Even then rather badly at times."

"Like I haven't noticed, Teef." He whispered, his annoyance clear to Tifa.

"N-no..." Penny said, shaking her head bashfully.

"What about short, blonde and ugly?" Cloud gave a menacing look at the jab. It was just a playful jab, right?

The teen bit her lip, trying not to smile at his joking reference to Cloud and his reaction when she turned around to see.

"Oh, come on!" The Turk moaned. He looked over at Cloud. "You _sure_ you don't know who it is?" He raised his brow.

Cloud stayed silent, biting his lip. Tifa rolled her eyes at him. "Reno, are you just playing games with us now?" The warrior looked down at her, surprised at how direct she was being with the Turk.

"I could be, yo." He gave a nod and a knowing grin the warrior detested at the moment.

Cloud sighed, rubbing his face. He really didn't want this right now. "Fine, I give up. You got me. Are we done now?"

Reno put on his now toasty socks. "You shoulda been more careful with Kyrie watchin' you that night. Maybe she can't put two and two together, but we can." He sighed, arms crossed and a contemplative look on his face. "I guess Evan's in on it, too."

Tifa blinked. "What business do you have with Evan?" She had noticed the Turks increased presence near the detective agency.

"That's a secret, yo." He raised a brow, smirking.

Cloud snorted. "A secret for a secret."

Reno chuckled. "You're lucky I like you two so much. Okay, he's Rufus' half brother. But, I'm only sayin' it because I'm sure you'd find out eventually." He casually scratched his cheek with a finger, more questions forming in his mind. "You and Evan really blew the lid off this."

"I guess so."

Before Reno could continue on, a bloodcurdling scream made the adults wince and look back at the tent; Cloud and Tifa charging towards the green shelter as wailing crying issued from it. The two went inside, searching for the little girl, Tifa finding her panicking in her sleeping bag.

"Marlene! What's wrong-" Splat. A cold, clammy, slimy belly made contact with the pugilist's face, a croak belching out of the giant black frog. She screamed as she ripped it from her face, tossing it behind her; it smashed into Cloud's face as it let out another pathetic croak. He looked down at the squirming amphibian and then at Marlene, the girl sniffing back tears as childish laughter came from behind him. Tifa looked back, then stomped into the other chamber.

"It was in my sleeping bag."


	36. Some Humans are Monsters

It seemed the Turks had been suspicious since mid-Summer, Evan telling them he'd figure it out on his own and not much else but whatever they could find in his office when he was out. With Kyrie's conversation the other day and Cloud's unusual appearance by a tree in the woods tonight, they could confirm it beyond a doubt. Or, so they said after Cloud and Tifa were finished scolding the boys and tossing the frog back into the creek. Penny looked on bashfully, then turned around to the Turks.

"I didn't know they were gonna play a prank with it..."

Reno and Rude stood up as the night continued on, dusting themselves off as they did so. "Well, guess our surveillance for tonight's over, yo." Reno gave an appraising look towards Cloud, the man raising a brow. "That job's still being offered, yo."

The warrior sighed. "I'll think about it, Reno." He cocked his head. "You're so casual about this. How come?"

"C'mon, I've had to work with actual monsters when Shinra was at its height. I don't think either of us would think Hojo was ever more human than you right now, right?" He grinned. "I don't think I have the right to judge, anyway."

Cloud looked down, thinking about what the Turks have done in the past, what he himself had done in the past. "I suppose so." Looking back up, he nodded. "We can talk about the job later."

Reno nodded. "S'cool." He looked down at Penny. "You seem alright. We'll just tell our boss you're off the naughty list, yo."

She got up and gave a shy smile, giving a small nod. "Thank you." Penny looked around, a hand to her face. "I better go home. Ithey'll come with me tomorrow!" Walking away, she turned and waved, smiling. "Good night!"

A half hour later and the Turks had departed after more talk, and the couple made their way into the tent. Cloud slept next to the boys and Tifa next to Marlene, the children finally asleep; Cloud pondered how long it would be before the wrong person found out about him and put a silver blade in his back. He'd already had several close calls, Barret and Merle's group having almost killed him. _'But most everyone either didn't care or were cautiously supportive...Dumb luck.'_

He still wasn't sure how to handle Merle. _'The sooner we get this stupid mission done the sooner we can part ways. Maybe he'll still try and get revenge, later...'_ He shifted to his side, trying to clear his mind so he could go to sleep.

Waking up to some strange sound in the early morning, Cloud frowned. He blinked as he raised his head up, hearing what sounded like a retching noise. The warrior slowly left his sleeping bag and peeked into the girl's sleeping room to find Tifa absent; he quickly left the tent and looked about for the woman. A soft groan came from downstream and beyond the truck, and Cloud softly walked past it, Tifa coming into view. She was crouching over the creek on her hands and knees, trying to keep her hair back.

Cloud gently gripped her long locks, Tifa uttering a gasp and then a murmur of recognition as she returned to her nausea. He cocked his head, concerned. "Tifa...are you getting sick?"

She let out a groan, spitting into the creek. "Maybe." He rubbed her back with his free hand, Tifa shaking her head irritably. "It's okay...Just hold my hair, please."

So he did, until Tifa was finally done throwing up whatever was in her stomach, the woman woozy as she lifted herself to her feet; Cloud held her to him, walking her towards the nearly out fire. He sat her down and leaned her against a nearby stump and went to get one of the extra blankets. After wrapping her up he put more wood on the fire, then sat next to her.

"I'm okay, Cloud. Really."

"You sound irritated." He said simply. _'...and smell it, too. Did I do something wrong?'_

She blew air out of her nose. "...I'm fine."

Cloud frowned. "You puked up dinner. Look, if you're sick I'll take care of the kids. We can go back home today so you can get some bed rest."

"...I'm _fine_." Tifa said with clenched teeth. Cloud cringed; if there was anything on this planet that could strike fear in his heart, one of them was a pissed off Tifa.

"Ah...okay...if you need me, I'm here, Teef." He wasn't really sure what to do now, the sky lightening above the canopy of black leaves. Cloud was awfully confused. _'Maybe I'll boil some water for coffee.'_ Best to stay productive.

Cloud's morning was like walking on eggshells, Tifa quietly working on breakfast after she recovered from her bought of nausea. The warrior noticed she still seemed irritated, especially if he came too close; it worried him. The children slowly left the tent as the smell of cooking food woke them, and she gave them their plates quietly as she finished the eggs; Tifa almost shoved Cloud's plate into his hands before leaning back, obviously stewing.

He didn't feel very hungry now. _'I better eat these just in case.'_

Tifa's mood seemed to improve by mid-morning, the on edge Cloud relaxing somewhat as she snuggled his arm before they took the children out to the woods to play. Still, something seemed off; he couldn't quite tell what. _'Maybe it was from that frog last night...'_

"Sorry. I guess whatever it was that was giving me nausea is gone." She said apologetically.

He smiled at her before returning his gaze to the children, giving his wife a squeeze. "It's okay, Teef." The children came to a clearing, looking about for something interesting they could bring back with them that they could show off at school. Marlene still separated herself from the boys, upset still after her feet squished against a large frog Denzel had hidden inside her sleeping bag while Zeph distracted Tifa.

The two sat on a large rock as they watched the children search about, the sun shimmering through the trees; Cloud occasionally glancing over at Tifa to make certain she was fine. He looked back, Denzel digging by a tree's roots for something interesting while Zeph searched by some large rocks. Marlene busied herself near a creek in case something shiny would show up, beating the boys at who found the best souvenir.

* * *

"Ms. Kisaragi?" A man in a dusty lavender outfit came to the counter of Seventh Heaven, the substitute bartender cleaning a glass as she looked up to the newcomer in the busy bar. Yuffie recognized him immediately; he was the intelligence gatherer sent to Kalm the day before. She raised a brow, wondering how he completed his mission so quickly considering her demands for a thorough job on the town. The man leaned against the counter, an uncomfortable look on his face.

Yuffie nodded at him, putting the glass down. "Finished already?" she looked about, the bar moderately busy. He wasn't going to pour intel out here, really? "Come here! to the garage!" She took him into the dark room, eyeing Cait Sith as he sat dormant by her weapon. "So what'd you find?"

The man nodded. "Found the old cave system is still in use."

"In use by who?"

He rubbed his ear, as if it bothered him. "A faction from Junon."

Yuffie gave an annoyed look. "Stop bein' cryptic, this's important!"

The informant gave a chuckle. "You're right, it is. I suppose I should tell the truth then. I went there as one of your rubes, and I come back as one of their members." He leaned over her, baring sharp teeth. "My mission has changed. Eliminating you for them is the least I can do for this _**gift given by them!**_ " The man shuddered, his body changing and tearing his clothing with a snarl; Yuffie jolted for her silver tipped shuriken before it could grab her and she slashed the monster in the chest as he was in mid-form. There was no satisfying sizzle, to the ninja's dismay.

"Lassy, I'll keep 'em busy! Run!" Cait Sith leapt onto the werewolf's face as Yuffie attempted to open up the garage door; the beast shook its head violently as the robotic cat held onto the snout for dear life. It turned black eyes towards Yuffie, charging at her as she finally made enough space for her to roll through the opening, running off. Heavy banging echoed through the alleyway as the werewolf viciously ripped at the roller door, finally bursting through and shaking Cait Sith into a wall with a squeek.

The ninja looked back, the bold beast quickly gaining on her. She pointed her shuriken at it, a hand to her head, focusing. Her mind snapped and fire burst about the monster, flames licking at its fur as it screamed. "Thank Gawd I thought to borrow some materia!" After a few moments it recovered, looking almost demonic as it charged again; the flames flickered in its black, feral eyes.

She ran again, trying to get some space between her and her former colleague as he tried to kill her. "Not good...not good..." Why wasn't silver working? Yuffie could almost feel the hot, moist breath of the wolf, and this time it wasn't a friendly creature. She turned about and gave a roundhouse kick, then quickly ran off again.

A growl came from behind her in the abandoned alleyway, and she put more spring in her step; she was almost ready to hit with another powerful fire spell. Yuffie tripped and immediately brought her shuriken up to block the wolf's mouth as she focused again, the monster recoiling as heat and flame touched it again. It let out a scream, then looked back at the ninja enraged and horribly burned. She brought her shuriken up once again as it prepared to slash burning claws into her tender chest, the werewolf having the upper hand on the mentally fatigued girl.

Suddenly a claw ripped through the beast's chest, a black heart in the newcomer's hand. The dark claw retreated through the new cavity as the werewolf's body slumped lifelessly to the ground in front of the bewildered ninja, who looked down at the corpse, and then up at the grey, red clad wolf man who stood stoically behind it; he dropped the heart unceremoniously to the ground. Yuffie got up, hopping happily as the beast disappeared into purple light, replaced by Vincent.

"Vincent!" She smashed into his chest, giving him a rib crushing hug. "Vinny...I was so scared, I thought I was a goner..." Yuffie shuddered, causing the stoic man to give her a comforting embrace as he looked about at the scene.

"Didn't you line your weapon with silver, like you said you would?" He inquired, getting to the point as he held her, waiting for the ninja to calm down.

Yuffie looked up and nodded. "It didn't do anything..."

He raised a brow. "How could that be?"

The ninja shook her head. "I don't know." She looked down a moment, then looked back at Vincent as he gently let her go. "He was the guy we sent to Kalm for intel on a mission Cloud's gonna be on. Said he was now a member of some faction..."

"I see." The raven haired man prodded the corpse with a pointy boot, then looked back as someone screamed as they entered the alley. He sighed. "Looks like this is going to get some attention."

Cait Sith appeared, the robot's crown dented from its impact with the wall. "We need to get on this, quickly. I hate to cut Cloud's trip short, but this is an emergency. How many of these could be around?" Silver immune werewolves? That was big trouble.

Yuffie and Vincent nodded, the ninja taking out her phone to call her friend up. Vincent walked off towards the main road, Cait Sith calling after him. "Vincent?"

He stopped a moment and turned to the little cat. "Just letting an acquaintance know. I'll be back to watch the bar." He walked off and onto the street, looking about. a few houses down, and there it was; the Mireille Detective Agency. Vincent knocked upon the door, hearing a "Come in"; he let himself into the first floor office silently and looked back at Evan. The young man was sitting at his desk with his hat next to him on the desk, a brow raised in surprise at seeing the dark, mysterious man again.

"Vincent Valentine? It's been a while."

Vincent nodded. "Evan. Barret...told me you know." He motioned his head towards the bar.

Evan nodded, getting up. "...What about it?"

"Yuffie was just attacked at Seventh Heaven by a werewolf. One that was immune to silver." He paused, letting the information sink in. "We'll be guarding the bar until this resolves. If you feel unsafe here, you can go there." He had no idea if this unknown faction would attack people close to Cloud or not.

"How many could there be..."

Vincent shook his head. "We do not know." He turned, opening the door again. "Keep the offer in mind." With that, the sinister looking man walked out, softly closing the door behind him.

* * *

"What?!" Cloud whispered angrily into the cellphone, looking about as his family played with Penny and Ithey, Tifa taking photos on her phone. She had grown irritated again during their time in the wilds, though it subsided again; between that and the news of what had just happened inside his home the werewolf was understandably upset and frustrated. "Yeah, okay. We'll be back as soon as we can. Call up the repair man, his card's on my desk. I'll talk more later...take care, Yuffie."

He growled as he put his phone away, pushing his hand through his spiky, golden locks. Cloud turned around and tapped Tifa's shoulder, the woman looking not quite as irritated when she saw the look on his face. "What's wrong, Cloud?"

He licked his dry lips. "Tifa...Yuffie was attacked in the bar by a werewolf that used to work for the WRO."

Her eyes widened. "They had other ones working for them?"

The warrior shook his head. "No. He wasn't one before he went on that mission, she said. We gotta go back."

Tifa looked over at the children; was the bar still safe, even with everyone there? They couldn't hide the children here, it was too open; they could be anywhere. She bit her lip, feeling emotional. Cloud seemed to pick up on it, taking and squeezing her hand gently.

"We'll fortify the bar. Keep the kids safe." He said reassuringly. Their choices were slim, and what was familiar was best.

She nodded quietly, sighing through her nose. Tifa went to the children, gently telling them they had to go home early much to their dismay. They understood despite their grumbling, and Penny looked towards the woman, concerned as Ithey walked to her side. The girl was wearing a pair of jeans and a dark green tank top, her mate a sleeveless black shirt and slightly thorn torn jeans.

"Tifa, what's wrong?"

"The bar was attacked by a werewolf. We gotta go protect it while Cloud finds out who's responsible..." She whispered to the teens.

Penny's eyes went wide, a hand to her chest. "Why? Is it because of him hunting them in Edge?" Ithey raised his brows, surprised at the bold move.

Tifa shook her head. "No. This one was from Kalm...Silver had no affect on it."

The werewolf bit her lip, thinking. "Tifa...you and Cloud have done a lot for us. Let us help defend the bar, please?"

Ithey nodded. "It'd only be fair."

The woman looked about in thought. The teen wasn't as strong as other werewolves, but she could help fight with the others if it came down to it. Tifa nodded. "Just be careful, both of you..." She looked over at Cloud, the man ushering the children towards the camp, and the three quickly followed.

It took a little less than an hour to break down the camp and cram everything into the flatbed, Penny and Ithey joining the boys in the back; the children sported little sinew necklaces with monster teeth the teens had made with their supplies as they showed the visitors how to make the items when they arrived to meet the family. Zeph held a second one in his pocket that he asked Penny to make, wanting to have a gift for Rosa.

Cloud peeked through the window after turning the truck on, looking at the four occupants. "Hold on, I'm gonna be going a little bit faster when we hit the road."

He took a deep breath and turned the vehicle around in the small clearing, then cautiously exited the forest as the truck bucked and bounced until they let the forest; Cloud took deep breaths through his nose and clenched the wheel tightly as his stomach began to churn from the choppy ride. The grasslands beyond were smoother, allowing his body a chance to recuperate before finally hitting the smooth pavement of the new road between Junon and Edge. The warrior increased his speed down the road, checking on the occupants in the back as Tifa called Ichi.

"Hello? Tifa?"

"Hey, Ichi...Can we see you three at the bar?" Tifa's voice was troubled.

The peacekeeper picked up on it. "Merle and I are on break right now...What's wrong?"

She explained the situation to him, and their plans. "So, we're fortifying the bar with our friends while you two and Cloud find out what's happening in Kalm."

"Damn. Yeah, I'll tell Merle. See you there."

Tifa hung up, staring out the window. Cloud looked over to her, and then quickly at Marlene, the girl looking at him worriedly. He looked back at the road and held the little girl's hand in an attempt to comfort her, glancing at the two here and there while driving. The warrior sighed, hoping he could relieve this new trouble that cast itself upon his family. _'I feel like a trouble magnet...'_

They reached Edge before nightfall, Penny and Ithey looking about the bustling city in the dimming light; while Penny may have been here once before, Ithey had never seen any city but Junon. They young werewolf held her leather pouch tightly while she sat next to her mate, her eyes watching the tall buildings as they floated by them and the very first stars twinkled between them.

The truck came to a stop in front of the bar, the occupants exiting quickly. Cloud rounded the truck, noticing Tifa holding onto the door with Marlene behind her. He cocked his head and then supported her with his arm, walking her to the bar.

"I think that frog got you sick, Teef."

She shook her head. "I can't be sick right now, Cloud."

"I want you to get some bed rest." He said firmly.

"I need to watch the bar..." She growled back.

Cloud snorted. "No, you need to rest." He picked her up despite her protests, carrying her bridal style through the door of Seventh Heaven. The warrior was greeted with the sight of well over half a dozen people, their eyes on him as Tifa struggled in his firm grip; he pushed by towards the stairs and towards the master bedroom, his wife thrashing about in his arms.

He placed her softly on the bed, and stared straight into her eyes with a hard look. "What has gotten into you..."

"Nothing! You think you can just carry me off where ever you want, like I need _your_ permission to watch _my_ bar!" Tifa tried to get up, Cloud holding her arms down. "Let me go, now, Cloud Strife!"

"No." He sniffed the air near her, frowning. "Something is off...you smell funny."

His concerns just set her off more. "I've been in the woods, like you don't smell either!"

"Tifa..." He sighed, letting her go. "Fine. This is pointless." Cloud left before she continued to berate him, the man confused at his wife's anger and strange scent. He came to a stop at the bottom of the steps, Yuffie giving him a funny look as if his earlier entrance had amused her.

"So...I guess you all know why you're here." He was given nods for responses. "Merle, Ichi and I are gonna go to Kalm and put a stop to this before it gets worse. The rest of you should do shifts to keep the place safe." He excused himself, heading towards the garage to collect the Combination Swords.

Penny looked about sheepishly, looking at the new faces. Some looked friendlier than others, and some looked almost familiar. In particular, two men looked at her that seemed to recognize the teen; Penny finally remembered they were the two men chasing Cloud. _'What are they doing here? Are they the ones helping Cloud search for where ever that werewolf came from?'_ She sniffed the air, frowning as she did so; the teen made out Cloud's scent, but there wasn't any other werewolf track to be found.

"Hey, so you're Penny, huh? Ithey?" A female voice came closer, belonging to a young woman with black hair and a mischievous smile. "I'm Yuffie, the White Rose of Wutai, and Cloud's friend. Nice to meetcha!"

They both nodded, smiling. "We came to help." Ithey said. Penny looked over at the two men again, noticing the children leaving to go upstairs, Zeph handing a necklace to a girl with a small blush, the sight almost making her giggle.

"This is really cool, Zeph! Thanks!" Rosa said.

"It was nothing..." He pointed towards Penny. "She made them for us."

The children made their way towards Denzel and Marlene's room, the bar too tense for their liking. Vits sat with Denzel on his bed as his host found a couple of comic books to read, and Marlene looked about for a board game they could all play. Rosa sat next to Zeph by the wall, muttering to each other.

"I was surprised when Uncle Merle came home early to take me here...He always gets frustrated when we have to meet Cloud."

Zeph smiled. "Guess you'll spend the night here again, huh?"

She nodded. "Cloud's gonna find who sent that monster?"

"Yeah. He found Valdt, so why not this?"

The door to the room slowly opened up, Cloud peeking from the crack. The warrior let himself in, closing the door behind him before sitting himself on his knees on the floor; he scratched the back of his head anxiously, uncertain where to begin as the children came closer, Rosa staying back a little. He sighed.

"Kids, this is a serious situation. These werewolves don't react to silver like the others do. Now, you three," he pointed at his wards, "know Penny and Ithey. But Rosa and Vits, you don't know them." He bit his lip a moment unsure of the reaction. "Ithey is human, Penny is a friendly werewolf."

"Those exist?" Vits asked with raised brows.

Cloud blinked, blushing. "Uh, yeah."

Rosa looked back and forth between Vits and Cloud. He didn't know? "S-so...what's she doing here?"

"They wanted to help guard the bar while we were gone." He replied.

Vits cocked his head. "Where'd you meet a friendly werewolf, though?"

"...In the woods. Anyway, try and keep your silver weapons away from her." Cloud said, giving a pleading look.

"We'll be nice to Penny, Cloud!" Marlene said, giving him a hug around his neck. "Come back safe!"

He returned the hug, rubbing her back. "I always do." He gave Denzel and Zeph hugs, the children picking up on Cloud's worry.

"Kick their butts extra hard for ruining our camping trip!" Denzel said with a grin. The warrior lifted himself up, smiling back and nodding.

"I will. Try not to give Tifa too hard of a time while I'm gone, I don't think she's feeling well at all..."

Marlene frowned. "What's wrong with Mama?"

Cloud momentarily looked in the direction of the master bedroom, then back at the children. "I don't know. Maybe the frog had germs on it or something." He shrugged, not trying to guilt the boys over it, but it's the only thing he could think of at the time.

Rosa frowned. "...Frog?"

Zeph and Denzel had guilty faces. "We put a frog in Marlene's sleeping bag, and she threw it in Tifa's face..." The blonde boy mumbled. Rosa put a hand to her face, but neither boy could tell if it was out of surprise or to hide a smile. Marlene looked at them sourly.

"I'm gonna check on her, then we're leavin'." Cloud looked down at Rosa. "Rosa, you might want to say your goodbyes to Ichi and your Uncle."

She blinked. "...They're coming back, right?" She mentally kicked herself. Maybe they will, maybe they won't; just like her parents. There were no guarantees. Rosa followed the warrior cautiously out of the room and into the dark hallway, the man sighing and looking back down at her.

"We'll probably split up and search the town, but...I'll do my best to keep them safe. I promise."

The girl did a slow nod, then looked back towards the door she came out of, then back at him. "Thank you."

He nodded back. "Tell them I'll be downstairs soon." Cloud went to the master bedroom, Tifa still fuming on the bed. _'What do I say?'_ He cleared his throat. "Teef...I'm leaving now. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

The warrior could see her flexing her fists in the dark. "Fine, just leave me here..." She said, her voice upset.

His face warped with concern. "What? You know I don't want you hurt, or killed...or changed." That could happen on this mission, and she was sick. Was she bitter she couldn't go with him?

Tifa crossed her arms angrily. "I can take care of myself in a fight, Cloud."

"Not when you're sick and acting like this." He raised a brow. _'Maybe she's turning into an ill-tempered werefrog.'_ Cloud bent over her, putting a hand gingerly on her cheek and rubbing it with his thumb. "...Let me take care of this. Then, let me take care of you."

He studied Tifa's eyes, the woman somehow placated. She nodded, a little teary eyed. "I don't know what's gotten into me today. Cloud...Please come home safe."

Cloud smiled, giving her a kiss. "I'll be back, Teef. I love you."

* * *

The warrior laid upon the flatbed of the truck with Cait Sith, irritated as he watched the stars, far away from Edge. Cloud had insisted on driving the truck, but Merle's constant paranoia had sent the spiky haired man to the back of the truck. He chewed on his cheek, feeling antsy. _'I told him to drive smoothly. This isn't smooth. If he hits another bump I'm gonna puke...'_ Cloud let out a shaky sigh as he sat up, controlling his breaths.

Ichi looked back, studying the werewolf. "Uh, you okay back there?"

Cloud shook his head and quivered a breath as he leaned on the cabin of the vehicle. "...Just keep driving." He growled. The sooner they get to Kalm, the sooner he could recover. There was no point using a materia or a sedative while he was still being shook about, his motion sickness growing worse.

"What's wrong, man?" Ichi had been trying to take a humanizing route with the warrior; he was just as upset as either Rosa or especially Merle, but he wasn't near as stubborn in his hate. He'd saved them once, he thought, so there was that bridge.

The warrior looked back at him, a pathetic look on his face. "Your friend drives like a maniac."

The peacekeeper immediately understood now why Cloud was acting strangely, but he frowned; Merle was just driving a little faster. "He isn't driving worse than anyone else I've had to drive with..." Ichi was stopped in his talk as Cloud jerked towards the side of the truck, noisily puking up whatever he had eaten that day. Cait Sith looked back towards the cabin of the truck, shaking his head.

"M'boy gets motion sickness, it's why he wanted to drive!" He squeaked.

They arrived in Kalm a hour later, Cloud consuming a sedative and washing it down with water from his canteen before tossing it into the flatbed; he leaned on the truck as he waited for it to take effect, eyes closed. The two others looked about at the entrance to the city from the truck cabin, hoping they hadn't been spotted yet.

The warrior hummed relief, and opened his eyes to peer into the passenger seat window beside him. "I'm gonna check this cave system Yuffie was talking about," he said quietly as he could. "I guess you could pretend to be night replacements and see if you can find another entrance."

Cait Sith nodded from Ichi's lap. "Aye. You jes be careful oot there, laddy!"

Merle narrowed his eyes. "What could possibly be happening here, in Kalm of all places?"

The werewolf huffed. "Kalm is poorly named, isn't it?" He straightened up, wiping his gloves of dust. "Thanks for the ride from Junon!" he said in a normal voice level, giving a stoic wink before traveling off to find this cave that held dangerous beasts. The other three drove into Kalm proper before beginning their search for the elusive faction.

Cloud walked about, picking up a strange, recent scent. This was definitely a wolf, and it was strengthening as he walked about. He looked about as he did so, looking for any landmarks or how far he could be from the town proper. _'Elmyra lives here with her sister still...I hope they're still alright.'_ The warrior made a mental note to check on the elderly folk after this was over with.

After a time he came across what looked to be a cavern entrance, having followed the scent here. A man was watching him warily, obviously sizing him up. _'Think, Strife...What would a big, bad wolf do? I can't act.'_ He thought a moment, remembering his former persona as a SOLDIER 1st class mercenary. Maybe he could channel that enough? It'd been so long...What's a good alias?

"And you are?" Came a gruff voice from the guard, looking down at the ex-infantryman. The man was large and would be considered intimidating by most people.

Cloud acted casually. "Spike." May as well use a familiar nickname.

"...No last name?"

"No need for one." He replied.

The guard was obviously judging him, from his scent to the way he stood; cocky and seemingly uncaring of the giant in front of him. "Where ya from?"

"Junon."

The man snorted. "Yeah, I smell it, city boy." He relaxed. "Guess you're here for the enhancements, then." He started pressing buttons on a handheld.

Cloud's eyes widened momentarily, replaced with a stoic look. _'...Enhancements? They've been altering Junon werewolves? Is that why I can't smell him?'_ He cleared his throat. "That's right."

The guard looked back at him, obviously judging his swords and eyes. "You aren't a normal wolf...SOLDIER?"

"...Yeah, 2nd class."

The large guard chuckled. "And now you work for crime lords in the oldest city on the planet. Guess you're part of the business end." The door opened, Cloud taking a step forward. _'Must not have ever seen me deliver packages. Too bad for him.'_

He shrugged. "Could be worse. My life isn't boring, at least." That was certainly true. The large man laughed as the warrior made his way through, hearing the burly man's voice echo in the cavern hall as he told him to take the second door to his right. The hall itself was rough stone, but the few rooms he glanced into were pods that had obviously been transported here from another area; sterile white with good lighting. Cloud shuddered; he hated almost anything that reminded him too much of modern medical practices, and with very good reason.

The warrior found his way to the designated room, an unassuming man of no more than forty standing in the middle in a white smock writing something down on a clipboard. He looked up past his glasses as the newcomer walked in, giving a greeting smile and opening his arms up to the sides. "Welcome! I guess you're the next one up..." He started to write again on his clipboard.

"Evening..." Cloud looked around. "You must've been researchin' werewolves for a long time to somehow come up with improvements." He knew this type. Lonely chatterbox.

The scientist shook his head. "Well, the past year or so we've been studying the affliction, but when that whole fiasco in Edge occurred, we had to hang low and work on ways to conceal."

"Hm, I remember hearing about that. Wasn't fun for us in Junon, either."

"It certainly wasn't at all! We depended on Edge for a number of test subjects. But, we're so far advanced now that we don't have a need for that, except for snacks as need for visitors, you see." He smiled. "Your kind seem to adore the taste of children, for whatever reason. Oh, occasionally we take from adult stock here for either conversion or testing."

Cloud raised his brows, but inside he was trying to control his anger; this could have been Zeph and Rosa's fate instead, lab rats like he had been or eaten. "What's the point of all this? You'll have to pardon me if I'm ignorant as to why humans are assisting werewolves in such a capacity.

The scientist was fiddling with some contraption on the table, testing it. "Ah, yes, I see. We made a deal with the Junon crime lords after quitting the WRO, boring research there. This is much more fascinating to us!" He tapped the contraption, then walked up to Cloud, swinging it casually as he talked. One of our own approached them about research, and we set up shop here in quiet Kalm."

So, just scientific madmen. Cloud felt he was going to enjoy every last drop of blood he'd shed tonight. "...Why do you ever convert normal folk?"

The scientist hummed, tapping his chin. "Well, recently, we found these old machines that were used by a man who went by the name of Fuhito, and they were used for mutating and brainwashing SOLDIERs. We altered the machine to convert humans and brainwash, so a handful of peacekeepers about Kalm work for us. Used it on an intruder too, from the WRO."

"What happened to the intruder?" He knew what happened to the poor fellow.

The man chuckled. "They sent him to kill the WRO intelligence officer and the hunter who was causing all that trouble in Edge. Won't they be surprised?"

"...Yeah, if they have the time to be surprised, that is." He looked over the room again, mentally cringing at the examination table and glass vats. _'No way am I getting 'enhancements'. Creepy bastards.'_

The scientist grinned. "Now, onto business. The process takes roughly an hour, you'll be brought to a room with your folded clothing when you come to. Something to eat, too."

Cloud's eyes snapped towards the meek looking man. "When I come to?" He took a step back. _'To hell with this!'_

"Standard procedure!" He zapped Cloud in the forehead with the contraption's invisible beams, knocking him out; he fell to the floor in a heap made of leather and swords. Two assistants came in to strip him of his articles and place him on the table. The scientist checked Cloud's eye, giggling as he saw the green ring around the pupil. "A former SOLDIER! No wonder he looked uneasy." He prepared his syringes, and looked for a good vein on the warrior's arm to begin his work.

* * *

The three walked through Kalm after departing from the truck, Cait Sith held by Merle as if a doll. They looked about, a peacekeeper here and there that would look their way occasionally. Ichi was wondering if someone was watching them. Heading towards the far wall of the fortified town in search of some secret path, they wandered into a dead end.

"Damn." Merle said. He looked about, eyeing a grate on the cobblestone path. "Wonder if that mutt bluffed his way in yet." The peacekeeper looked down; there was a pale light coming from somewhere. He lifted the grate, tugging; it eventually came free, and he placed it to the side.

"Cloud oot tae be fine." The cat peeked into the sewer, then gave a thumbs up.

Ichi looked at the robot. "He has glowing eyes, he was in SOLDIER?" It'd be no wonder; he was certainly at least more durable than your average wolf.

Cait Sith shook his head. "No." it said simply.

Ichi frowned. "Just 'no', huh..."

"That's Cloud's business."

The trio dropped into the sewer, the tunnel strangely dry. Cait Sith dropped into Ichi's arm again, pointing towards the light. Merle and Ichi followed the cat, warily watching their back. The light in front of them grew, as they turned a gentle bend they found themselves in front of a white door. There was a keypad next to the entrance, the door a modern automatic slider obviously made of metal.

"Hmph. Now how are we gonna get into here?" Merle mumbled, touching the door.

Ichi looked over the keypad. "Let me see here..." He poked some buttons.

Merle looked at his friend. "Know what you're doing?"

The blonde peacekeeper chuckled. "Not a damn clue."

He pressed more combinations, his fourth try earning a green light and an open door. They quickly filtered into the new area, the sewer changing into a cavern path lit with artificial lights. The door shut, and they walked onward as stealthily as possible. Coming up a ramp they peeked over a corner to sounds of yelling and a gravelly voice.

"You're next, kid." A man was pulling a young child towards a room after shutting the door to the room she came from. Tossing her in, he shut the door and walked away. The three looked at each other.

"We need to find Cloud." Cait Sith said. The two men readied their handguns; the night would be long.


	37. Some Monsters are Human

The guard they had seen far down the hall had slowly disappeared around another bend, and the three quickly walked by several rooms and another pathway, patting on the door from whence the child was taken from as they approached; there were murmurs from the other side of the barrier, though hard to hear.

Ichi tried his luck again with the buttons next to the pod's door, cursing softly when he failed. Merle looked about, tentatively creeping towards the bend the guard had passed by. Peeking, the man's back was still turned away from the peacekeeper; he eyed the rough hall filled with square white pods. _'Is Cloud here, somewhere?'_ There was no sign of any other person, familiar or stranger. The man wondered if Cloud had even found the place yet, or got stuck on some other trail. He figured they had enough time to try and evacuate the prisoners before the guard came by again, and if it came to it they'd just shoot him. _'Gonna be noisy...'_

Merle came back to the pods behind him, several of them open and empty except for a table on the side of a wall and a drain on the floor; he could only imagine for what. A single one was closed, and he put his ear up to it after examining the others, hearing a muffled, grumbling snoring, and the clap of bare feet on floor tile as a young child babbled to itself. The combination made the hair on the back of his head shoot up, and he looked at the buttons available; there were only two, a red and green one. No locks? Merle went to press the green button, but slumped to the ground as heat passed through his brain, smacking his head into the door.

"Damn, not this combination...There!" Ichi saw the light turn green and the door swung open to a group of people staring at him in disbelief, obviously recognizing his uniform. He looked back at Merle, the man observing the other rooms, then brought his attention to the people inside. There were no more than ten, half adults and the other half children; one of the women in the room approached him swiftly as another girl followed.

"They took my baby!"

Ichi nodded. "I saw that...my partner's working on it."

She nodded, a cautious smile forming on her lips. "Where's the guard?"

"He's still around. We're gonna-" Ichi fell to the ground, dropping Cait Sith like a rag doll. The guard peeked in, then dragged the unconscious peacekeeper out of the way of the sliding door. There was a scientist behind him, and several assistants walking off with a body.

The guard's stony face peered inside. "False alarm, guys." The door shut unceremoniously, the woman quivering a sigh as her last glimmer of hope was lost.

Cait Sith stood up, dusting himself off. "This is o' bit o' rubbish!" he squeaked, the room staring at him. The robot waved with a smile, trying to calm the tense air of the room. "We're with the WRO, everyone!"

A man snorted. "You all were captured. I think your friends are about as screwed as the rest of us."

"They don't have everyone, laddy! M'boy'll fix this mess right up!"

The woman looked down at the cat worriedly. "...And if he doesn't?"

"Then, I hope we were followed in here." Cait Sith said cryptically.

She sat down, trying to keep her emotions in check; the cat came up to her and sat upon the floor. "It'll be too late for her, anyway."

The cat sighed. "Couldn't all of you overpower the guard?"

"Knockout gun..." A girl said next to him. "He used it on Mom when she wouldn't..." she turned away.

"Oh." Cait Sith looked about, both the AI and handler thinking. Perhaps he could acquire some information as he waited for a rescue. Who these people are, how they ended up here.

* * *

Tifa sighed heavily as she left the bed, pondering how she had felt not only today, but the last week; it slowly culminated into this. Her emotional bout had subsided, and she looked out of the window, wondering if Cloud was alright in Kalm. She heard a grumbling noise from her stomach; Tifa had not eaten that day because of her bout of nausea. _'What a day...'_ She walked down the hallway, stopping by the children's bedroom to check on the denizens within. They looked up at her from their board game, Marlene charging her for a hug.

"Hi, sweetie."

Marlene looked up at her. "Tifa, Cloud said you aren't feeling good."

Tifa smiled. "I'm feeling a little better. I'm gonna go downstairs and make everyone something to eat."

Rosa rose to her feet and stood behind Marlene. "Um, could I help, Tifa?"

"Sure, if you'd like." The woman cocked her head, surprised at the request. Rosa followed her downstairs after waving goodbye to the other children, and peeked at the people sitting about the bar; they were conversing here and there with each other. Looking about, a teen with dirt covered feet walked towards the galley; Rosa decided that must be Penny, the werewolf. She chewed on her lip, somewhat wary.

Tifa smiled at her. "Hi, Penny. Did you want to help, too?" She shifted about the galley, looking for her large pot.

The teen nodded. "I feel a little restless. It'd be nice to have something to do!" She looked at Tifa, squinting her eyes and making a face, as if something didn't smell right, still.

The pugilist finally found the pot she needed. "It'll be nice to have a few hands here in the kitchen." She looked down at Rosa. "Would you like to help Penny clean and chop some vegetables?"

The girl looked trepidatiously between the two, finally nodding. "I don't know how to cook very well..." She admitted.

"You wanted some hands on experience, is that why you wanted to help?" Rosa nodded guiltily and Tifa smiled. "That's fine. Cleaning and chopping vegetables is a good place to start, then."

Within a few minutes the two were working on the task, scrubbing potatoes and carrots as Tifa placed some celery stalks on the prep table. Penny focused on skinning a spud in her hand, her tongue sticking out a little as she scraped the brown skin off. "Oh, sometimes I'm glad I don't bother much with vegetables." She said to herself light heartedly.

Rosa looked up from the carrot she was carefully chopping. "...Are there even vegetables in the woods?" the girl asked shyly.

The werewolf started to slice the conquered potato. "Yeah! But Ithey's the one that looks for them to eat, I'm...not one for vegetables much, anymore." her cheeks blushed.

The girl resumed her root chopping. "Cloud told us upstairs."

Penny's cheeks blushed further. "O-oh. I feel kinda nervous, here. I don't know how he can stand so many people knowing about his secret..."

Tifa giggled behind her as she worked on an onion, avoiding the dreaded tears. "He absolutely hates it."

"Then why let everyone know?"

The woman shook her head, dumping stock into the pot. "It just happens. Cloud interacts with a lot more people than you do, so...it's a risk."

Rosa forcefully chopped her next carrot. She could easily admit to still being upset at the unfair situation involving Cloud, but how casual can one be about interactions? _'Why couldn't they both live?'_ The little girl didn't think either Cloud or Harry deserved to die that night. "Ah!"

Penny looked down, the girl next to her holding a bleeding finger. "Oh, you cut yourself!" she looked around helplessly as Tifa went behind Rosa, looking at her cut.

She motioned towards the stairs, giving the girl an encouraging, very gentle push towards the stairs. "I'll be right up, Rosa. Penny, could you finish chopping these up?" The werewolf nodded, and Tifa walked upstairs after collecting a few supplies from a nearby kit.

The girl was slowly walking with uncertainty through the hall until the bartender came from behind her, ushering her into the bathroom. She turned on the light and rinsed the bleeding digit in cool running water for a minute, then looked at the cut. "It's just a nick...You have to be careful and not let your mind wander too much when you cut food, Rosa."

Rosa's eyes were distant, Tifa picking up on her troubled thoughts before bandaging her up. "Everything's so unfair..."

Tifa nodded empathically as she wrapped gauze on the finger. "It is. We just make the best of what we get, sweetie."

"But..." She sighed, still not understanding. "I don't know how to cope with this. Harry was killed by the same person that freed me. It's..."

The woman nodded, patting the girl's hand. "Cloud regrets it a lot. But I don't think killing him would make you or Merle feel better."

Rosa shook her head. "I don't want him dead anymore. I don't really know what I want."

"Why not talk to him about it? It's not like he wouldn't listen." She stood up.

The girl rubbed her arm, walking out of the bathroom with Tifa. "...Maybe, after he gets back."

They went back to the galley, Tifa finishing preparation for the stew she was making before sitting down with a glass of water by the counter to rest; she felt fatigued. Vincent walked up to her quietly, and looked down at her. "Are you feeling better?"

Tifa chuckled. "Yeah, just a little tired now...I've been feeling weird all day. Cloud thinks it's from a frog."

The raven haired man snorted. "A frog? I don't know of an illness from frogs that causes even-tempered women to lash out at their spouses." He raised a brow.

"Me either." She sipped from her glass, her cheeks pink from embarrassment. "If it lasts much longer, I'm going to the doctor." Tifa began to think, going over her symptoms. It had only been today she had acted like this, right? _'I've been feeling a little off all week, but it really ramped up today.'_

Vincent nodded. "If anything happens during the night, let us take care of it." his voice had a rueful quality to it, knowing full well Tifa wanted to protect the bar too. He looked over at Penny, the girl passing him as she walked towards the front of the bar; she gave him a meek look before turning to face the door to the bar, her obvious destination.

Evan was near it, talking with Kyrie; they had introduced themselves to the teen earlier, after Cloud had left. They seemed nice, but she hadn't the courage to say anything about her secret to them. Did they know Cloud's? Kyrie kept looking over at her feet. Evan looked her over and gave a nod; the werewolf's face turned red and she faced the door, arms crossed. _'I'll watch the door. No one else can smell intruders!...But that one that attacked Yuffie didn't leave behind a trail. Maybe I'm just a liability here.'_

"Penelope?" It was Ithey. "You okay?"

She smiled at him. "...Yeah. I guess I feel out of my element."

He nodded. "Same. All these people. I barely know what to do or what to say." He motioned towards Vincent. "He's nice enough without saying anything." Stoic, silent, not particularly judgemental.

"He looks kinda scary to me." Penny found it amusing to think it, he wasn't someone that turned into a monster. His scent was so strange, though.

Ithey shrugged. "Tifa and Yuffie are casual as can be around him, so maybe he's not that scary, right?"

She nodded. Turning back towards the door she guarded, Penny let out a little sigh, praying they wouldn't have to fight some murderous wolf tonight. Turning back after a few moments, she watched Tifa as she taught Rosa how to cook whatever it was she had been making for everyone, chopping a few more vegetables and tossing them into the steaming pot.

Turning back, she looked at Ithey. "I think I'll get some fresh air for a few minutes. Wanna join me?" Her mate smiled and nodded, and they both left for the front steps of the bar.

* * *

The little girl bumped her tiny fists on the door after being shoved inside the simple room, upset she was torn from her mother and sister. "I want mommy!" she protested, the door never budging nor anyone responding to her little chant.

That man somehow made her mother fall asleep, then he took her away from everybody, shoving her into this strange room. It was cool and sterile white like the other room, but no one was there to keep her warm. The little girl's feet were cold on the hard tile, adding to her discomfort.

She gave up, rubbing her cheeks of tears and looking about the well lit room. There were swords hanging off a wall, and a table full of clothing. Looking on the floor she saw a big, yellow wolf creature sleeping on its side and snoring softly, the being catching her attention the most; it reminded her of the dog they kept at home, a golden retriever. If golden retrievers were huge with brown faces, and covered in whispy blonde spikes.

"Doggy." The little girl walked up to it, and rubbed one of the long, soft ears that flopped forward. It flicked about here and there, tickling her hand. She giggled, but the creature continued to sleep soundly despite the girl's curiosity as she pat its muzzle. Looking around, the little girl eyed the clothing; the room was cool and her clothing was thin. "I'll be back, Doggy."

Her little hands grasped for a piece of clothing on the table, and she pulled it off; wrapping it around herself she pattered back to the wolf. "You don't need people clothes." She sat next to the creature, leaning onto its furry chest for more warmth. Her body rose and fell with powerful exhales and inhales, the beast still snoring soundly. She jumped when a thud came from the door, then dragging noises; the little girl held onto the shirt and looked towards the beast's head.

"You'll keep the bad man away, right Doggy?" The girl got a grumble in response, as if it were trying to form words in its sleep. She snuggled into the soft, furry chest in an attempt to keep warm, eventually falling asleep with the big yellow wolf.

* * *

"So these two were snooping about, and almost freed the specimens?" The voice belonged to a nasally scientist. "That's twice in a week!" He began to examine the knocked out peacekeepers, humming as he checked their eyes and vitals. He looked over at another scientist, younger than himself, and nodded.

"We could always use some more peacekeepers in the WRO's ranks. Put them in the converter, then get as much information out of them as you can afterwards." He looked over the two large machines, then pressing several buttons on a console nearby that opened the hatches of the machines. The large guard placed a peacekeeper in, one after the other, then went back to his patrol duties silently.

"Ah, I wish this process wouldn't take so long. Enhancements are so much quicker!" He and the other scientist readied the machines, and after a few minutes the tanks began to work, filling with a mako vapor. "Hopefully with more notes we can streamline the process. Try not to get too bored, now." The elder scientist left, two of the assistants coming with him as several stayed behind to take notes and assist with any fluctuations in the touchy machines.

The remaining scientist wrote upon his clipboard, watching the machine fill up. One of the occupants had woken up already, and was slamming against the door. "That's not going to work, sir." he said coldly. _'They need to ramp up security here, we're getting way too much attention now.'_ Sure, there were three guards, one of them a genetically enhanced werewolf that a Junon crime-lord brought over to make sure they could dispose of any troublemakers, but he couldn't help but think that there would be a time they'd possibly have to deal with large WRO forces before enough peacekeepers were converted.

"Sir, tank 01 needs more mako." an assistant said. The man gave the go ahead, and she fidgeted with the console. Listening to the hiss of gas, they watched, observant for any troubles the machine could have; it was considered rather temperamental equipment because of its age and change in usage. Content with present levels, they went back to their notes; the tall man still trying to make the door budge.

A strange canister smacked into the machine and fell unceremoniously to the floor, rolling towards the young scientist. He squinted, looking at the ugly greenish-yellow cannister that he stopped with his foot. The top was twitching and his eyes widened; before he could shout it released a massive electrical jolt to the five onlookers with such ferocity the remains were charred. The man in the machine gawked, looking about as the green mist made it more difficult to see. A dark silhouette of green appeared from the hall in front of him.

The man outside seemed to look over the presumably dead employees, then looked up to meet Merle's eyes. The man went to a large console and played about with the buttons and switches here and there; suddenly the mako stopped flowing into the small chamber and the hatched door released him from his prison. He gasped the fresher air of the room, almost puking from the concentrations he was subjected to. Ichi fell out, scrambling away from the vile contraption.

"It truly was prudent to purchase some items in Wutai," Came a calm and deep voice. The two peacekeepers looked up to a man wearing a black suit, his black hair slicked back and hard brown eyes watching them. This was a Turk. "Reeve requested our assistance. My name is Tseng."

"Tseng of the Turks...what was that you tossed at those bastards?" Merle said awestruck as he helped himself up with a grunt. He looked about the room, at the charred bodies whose smell bothered his nose, and the various machinery that was in use; though quite possibly ruined by the electrical discharge.

The Turk chuckled. "It's a Swift Bolt. Wutaian made, they had to develop items that mimic materia." He looked at the machine the two had been released from, scowling. "I know what this is. This was used to mutate SOLDIERS into Ravens." He looked at the two men, obviously not enhanced. "I wonder what they did to this machine..."

"No idea," Ichi said. "but we got some prisoners down the hall and we're not really sure where Cloud is." The peacekeeper figured if Reno knew who Cloud was, Tseng knew him, too.

The Turk shrugged, taking out a long, heavy baton made of shining metal. "I'm sure he's fine. Until we meet him again, let's see if we can clear the area of enemies first." He turned around, walking down the hall. Ichi and Merle looked about the room quickly and found their rifles; equipping them they headed off with the Turk, glad that their boss seemed to have so many strange connections.

* * *

 _ **He felt something sting his arm, a burning sensation tearing up his veins. Cloud thrashed about irritably as the burn poured through his body. The sensation was so familiar, sending him back through his memories to when he was sixteen. Awake upon an operating table, his limbs tied to the corners, he looked down upon his pale chest and noticed a scar he earned from challenging Sephiroth. Looking up a leering Professor Hojo was finishing another round of injections.**_

 _ **"It's almost over, now." Shadows untied his limbs and picked him up towards a large tank full of mako, the teen too weak to fight back after all the injections that madman had given him. The shadows lifted him up and dunked him into the green, glowing liquid, Hojo taking notes as he stared at the spiky haired boy. "Fascinating, very fascinating!"**_

 _ **'I don't feel fascinating...' A heat welled up in his body, different than the burning feelings from the injections. His body felt so very strange now; his teeth ached and his toes curled in the liquid he floated in. Weakly he put a finger to his mouth, jabbing his finger with a sharp tooth. He gasped, feeling helpless as his body flowed into another form without his permission. 'What is this..."**_

 _ **Cloud heard a scream, and looked back to see Tifa looking up at him with saucer eyes as she held Marlene, Denzel and Zeph. He looked around, in the low light of Seventh Heaven, his home. Their home. He looked down at himself, shredded clothing everywhere and a bloodied arm by his clawed foot. "What happened?" he tried to say, but only confused growls came out.**_

 _ **They ran away after he looked up, towards the garage. He followed worriedly, trying to shout their names. He entered the pitch black room and immediately fell through the floor, the door to the bar quickly retreating; his hand came up to grasp at it, human as it had been most of his life. He floated in this space for what felt like forever, until a young voice entered his mind, asking him a question.**_

 _ **"You'll keep the bad man away, right Doggy?"**_

 _ **"...Yeah, I'll keep him away. Don't worry."**_

Cloud blinked several times, his pupils contracting as artificial light flooded his eyes as his head rested on an arm. _**'...What happened?'**_ He felt different, and his other arm felt sore. There was something warm on his chest as he laid on his side, was it moving? He lifted his head and looked in front of him; his clothing was there upon a low, white table, his weapons and sheaths hanging from the wall. The smell of mako was coming from his fur, and his eyes momentarily widened. Now he remembered why, remembered his dreams, and suddenly felt as violated as that day he found himself in the basement of the Shinra Mansion; Hojo had patched him up only to pump him full of alien cells and douse him in mako for his sick experiments. Here he was again, unintentionally a lab rat, or so it felt to him.

He growled.

"Doggy?"

He frowned, looking towards his furry chest, the voice ripping him out of his brooding mood. _**'Someone's here...'**_ A head popped out at him, a child of maybe four watching him with a silly grin; the girl was wearing his shirt like a blanket. Cloud cocked his head, looking around a little before turning his eyes back to her, his brows up in mild surprise. The girl used him for support to get up, then walked up to his head. _**'She's not afraid at all?'**_ What was she doing here?

She rubbed his muzzle with her tiny hand, giggling. "Good doggy!"

Cloud snorted. The girl must have been his "something to eat." He was rather hungry, but the werewolf would have to wait for a real meal. He slowly sat up, and looked about for somewhere to change where the girl couldn't watch. Looking down at the girl, he pointed towards a corner of the room, and then put his paws over his eyes, then pointed at her. She merely smiled and covered her eyes a few moments, as if it was a game. The werewolf sighed, then tapped a claw as he thought; he looked back at the table and reasoned it would have to do.

Standing up he walked towards the table, awkwardly moving his pauldron and bracer to the ground, then shoving his clothing to the other side of the floor. Cloud gripped the table and effortlessly tipped it towards him; satisfied with his barrier, the werewolf quickly walked behind it and crouched down. He focused, and soon found himself back as his usual self, scratching the back of his head while looking at the little girl, blushing.

"Uh, hello." He said, grabbing for his boxers.

The girl cocked her head. "You turned into a person!"

Cloud grinned at her. "Yeah, I did." He put on his pants, zipping them up, then finding his necklace in a pocket. _'She's as cute as Marlene when she was that age.'_ he thought wistfully. The warrior moved in front of the table after donning his socks and boots, holding a hand out for his shirt; she looked reluctant to part with it.

"I'm cold..." she pouted. Cloud nodded in understanding as goosebumps formed on his arms.

He looked around, then found his side sash. Picking it up, he gave it to her. "How about this instead?" It seemed to sate her, and he regained his shirt. Cloud looked back at her as he equipped his weapons and armor, her eyes lighting up under the makeshift robe as he donned the articles. "Do you have a mommy and daddy?" He slipped his gloves on.

The girl nodded. "Mommy's in the other room. The mean man put me in here!"

Cloud sighed, nodding. "Let me bring you back to your mommy. Okay?" He held out his hand, the girl grabbing it. He looked at the door, and found several buttons that were too high up for children to reach; he tentatively pressed the green button, and the door opened up into a familiar setting of white square pods and rough rock passage. The warrior peeked about and saw nor heard anyone; he sniffed and smelled familiar scents. _'They're here?'_ Shrugging, he walked towards the pods to his right as the little girl held onto him. He knocked on a few doors until he heard a muffled response from one; he looked about at the button panel, but it was made for a code or a card that he didn't have.

"Okay..." He looked down at the little girl. "Hey, I need to find something to open this door up. You're gonna have to follow me, but when I fight someone, you have to not look, okay?"

She peeked out from under the black fabric, nodding. "Okay!"

Cloud etched a mark on the door with one of his smallest swords, then continued on, the little girl trailing behind him; he decided it was best not to expose the entire group of people to whoever might be around. Footsteps made their way to his ears, and he took out First Tsurugi eagerly and he ushered the little girl to a wall to wait. The footfalls were heavy, made by someone much heftier than he himself, and soon a man in a light grey suit greeted him with a raised brow.

"What's up with you?"

The warrior narrowed his eyes. "You gave me some little kid, right?"

The guard huffed. "Yeah. Not enough for you or something?" He looked at the huddled black mass behind the warrior, the only thing visible small legs. "...Not hungry...?"

Cloud was disgusted by how casual he was about it. He swung his sword, the man dodging at the last second; his arm was nearly severed below the elbow as his arms went into a defensive position mid-dodge, and Cloud brought out another sword to strike the man's side. Viscera weeped out of the cut, but the guard went in for a desperate attack. The warrior dodged the fist easily and bisected the man with a swing of his main sword.

He licked the blood that ran from his cheek as he rubbed it away; it was sweet tasting. _'He wasn't a werewolf...'_ Cloud looked down at the man and searched the body, finding a card he could use to open the door hopefully. He looked back, the child pattering towards him blindly. The warrior took the card into his pocket and held the child's arms before she bumped into him, and she giggled. "Be careful!" He heard more footsteps nearby and scowled; there were more coming. "Follow me..."

He walked towards a fork in the passageway; there were more footsteps coming from it. Cloud sheathed his secondary weapon and quietly walked towards his destination, estimating there were three others behind the bend. Crouching, he stopped the child where she was and stealthily creeped closer and tensing as he came to the corner; he listened and heard quick breathing, making him frown. Sniffing the air, the scents were familiar, his eyes widening. "Wait-"

Thump. Cloud saw stars as something heavy and metal smashed into the side of his head, collapsing him to the floor in a groaning heap. He heard someone swearing in surprise and the little girl squeaking far behind him, then felt himself being lifted by someone. The warrior's eyes refocused slowly, blinking, and a grimacing Tseng greeted his vision; the Turk seemed to be looking him over.

"I thought that would do a bit more damage, considering the silver coating. Burning scalp, at least." He said dryly.

"Nice to see you, too, Tseng." Cloud's brows knitted together. "...It was silver?" The Turk nodded, and the warrior looked down at the metal baton Tseng was wielding. He motioned it towards him, and he pressed his arm against it. Nothing. "I guess...the treatment worked."

"Treatment?" Ichi echoed.

Cloud nodded. "Scientist knocked me out, thought I worked for a Junon crime-lord." He regained his footing, feeling the peacekeepers' strength wearing down from the combined weight of he and his swords. "This place is for research and experimentation." He picked up First Tsurugi from the ground and sheathed it.

Tseng laughed mirthlessly. "So I've seen. I had to rescue these two from a damnable contraption I thought I'd never see again." He motioned towards Ichi and Merle.

"This place is a damned nightmare." Merle said, looking about. Cloud nodded.

"There's a few captives here, down the hall. They should be safe until this place is cleared out." The warrior said, motioning the way he came.

Ichi sighed, looking down the hall. "We saw them. What were they doing with them? Making more slaves?"

Cloud nodded. "That scientist said they used them for experimentation and conversion, the kids for visitor food."

Tseng snorted. "Did they give you one, Strife?"

"Yep."

"...That was you in that room. What'd you do with her?" Merle asked, his voice more curious than accusatory; the warrior had never shown any form of aggression towards children, much to his relief.

The answer pitter-pattered towards them, the girl kicking Tseng with a bare foot. "Leave Doggy alone!" She stomped her foot to the ground, her word final.

The Turk smirked, looking down at the girl and then to Cloud. "Your name is 'Doggy' now?" he started to chuckle, Cloud scowling at him. Lowering his gaze to the child again, he nodded at her. "I'm sorry, I thought 'Doggy' was someone else."

Cloud sighed, picking up the little girl. "I needed a key card to get inside the captive pen, and I have one now. But I heard you three, so I didn't think the area was safe enough to evacuate." He patted her back. "Where's Cait Sith?"

"He's stuck with the captives...I dropped him when they knocked me out." Ichi said.

Cloud nodded, then looked back at Tseng. "Is the area clear?"

He nodded. "There weren't many around in the first place." He pointed the way he came, his face neutral. "There were some scientists and a guard up there, seeing to that converter machine."

That reminded the warrior of what that scientist had told him. "...Kalm isn't safe. Some of the peacekeepers have been put through that thing."

The three others cursed. "Well, how're we gonna tell who's who, then?" Merle hissed.

"I don't know. It depends what the treatment does."

Tseng nodded. "We'll figure that out later. For now, I'm going to sabotage that lovely machine of theirs, and this place as well."

"Meet us at the front entrance when you're done." Cloud said, pointing the way he came. "I'm gonna bring the kiddo back to her mom." He walked off, taking the card out of his pocket, Ichi and Merle trailing him. Finally at the door, he fumbled with the card as the peacekeepers stood watch with their recovered weapons; they wouldn't be caught off guard again.

The light turned green, the door sliding open. The people within eyed him wearily; he noticed a crying woman was sitting next to Cait Sith, the robot trying his hardest to console her. He looked up and his feline face seemed to brighten; he stood up and waved, the woman looking up towards Cloud.

"There you are! Took you long enough."

Cloud snorted. "Was kinda preoccupied." He looked around and then waved towards himself. "We're bustin' everyone out of here." The exit was surprisingly subdued, as if they had lost hope in there. He couldn't blame them, but they'd probably return to normal after a few days away from this hellish place. He looked inside, the woman and a child the last to leave; the woman's face was haunted and empty, causing Cloud to frown. "Miss?"

She shook her head. "They took my baby." she said quietly.

He silently sniffed. "Oh, you're her mother..."

The woman snapped her head towards him, then noticed the black mass in his arm; there were little legs poking out. She moved the fabric, a little face smiling back at her. "Hi, Mommy!"

Cloud gently gave the child back to the woman, the little girl hugging her mother's neck. The woman looked back at the warrior with a soft smile, relieved her child was rescued after all. "Thank you for saving her...to use her for such a thing..." He gave a nod, satisfied that the little girl was reunited with her family. He put his sash back on, adjusting his belts.

The little girl looked back at Cloud, waving. "Thanks, Doggy!" Cloud blushed, suddenly uncomfortable.

The woman's brows knotted together. "...Doggy?"

Before the warrior could make up a half baked excuse, the little girl chimed out an answer. "He was a doggy, then he turned into a person!" The woman looked at her and then Cloud, a brow raised.

"Uh...Let's get you guys home." Cloud's face was beet red, the three females looking at him with various expressions from glee to confusion. Cait Sith climbed and perched on his shoulder, slapping his back as he walked off towards Ichi and Merle. "Wonder where 'home' is for these people."

"Those three are from Kalm, but the rest are from Junon, Edge and Fort Condor." Cait Sith said. "I'll have transport ready for them soon."

The warrior sighed, shaking his head. "Your peacekeepers in town are compromised. They have some of them, just like the one that tried to kill Yuffie."

"Damn! Hounds and silver won't work on them, then." The cat scratched its head. "It's alright, transport won't be from Kalm, anyway."

"A stink-bomb might work on them, you know. When Marlene lit one up, I was choking...It was terrible." Cloud heard his friend chuckle on his back. Reaching the two peacekeepers, he took out his blades, combining them together. The two looked over at the beastly weapon, brows raised as the warrior rested it on his shoulder, the robot holding onto the pauldron.

"A bit of overkill, don't you think?" Merle said.

Cloud shook his head. "For these freaks? Keep them safe, I'll be back." He walked off, trailing the scent of the scientist that tinkered on him without his permission; Cait Sith hid on his back as his friend made his way down the hall. Turning into the room that held the scientist, the man raised his brows as he turned from his assistants to look at his former patient.

"Feeling alright after your nap? Sometimes the vats leave patients feeling nauseous."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. Couldn't eat after I woke up..." He glanced about the room, his rage building. They stuck him in a vat...The warrior had spent enough of his life in a vat. "So, you stuck me in one of these things..." Cloud walked over to it as if examining it, then smashed his giant sword through it. "I've spent a lot of time in one of these." He said grimly, turning to the scientist.

"My equipment!" the scientist squeaked, fumbling for his knockout gun as his assistants scattered. Cloud smashed the man into a wall with his sword, not done toying with him yet; he made sure not to injure him too gravely, yet.

"I didn't tell you how much I hate people like you, playing God on innocent people." He tore through the rest of the room with a flick of his wrist, tearing through sensitive equipment. "And what's worse, you decided to help hide a den of monsters willingly." He bent over the man, his thinly veiled rage warping his usually stoic face, the man looking back at him like he was a wild animal.

"Is this how you repay me?!"

Cloud crouched down and punched the scientist in the jaw. "I didn't ask you to touch me, you son of a bitch." he spat.

"Cloud!" Cait Sith squeaked. He looked up and then rolled away before a large claw had a chance to tear into him. The werewolf was unusually large, brown furred with a black face baring large, pointy teeth at the warrior. It looked back and forth between the two quickly, then scooped up the injured scientist and hurriedly ran off.

"I don't think so!" Cloud gave chase through the hallway, the beast faster than he was; the desire to change was so very tempting at that moment, just so he could catch up and rip and tear at both of those bastards. He shook the thought out of his head, and readied his sword for an attack by raising it high up as they left the facility. With an angry grunt he brought it down, a shock-wave slicing into the giant wolf's back and making it fumble to the ground, bleeding. "I'm ending this..."

He came ever closer to the two, the smell of blood in the night air exciting the ravenous werewolf. The large beast scrambled to get up with the injured scientist, recovering from the spirit attack gradually; Cloud brought his weapon up with a growl as he crunched through grass and pebbles quickly. Before he could bring it down, the man heard his friend squeak in surprise; he turned around as the sound of gunfire made its way to him, and he brought his sword up to deflect the bullets.

Peeking behind it there were several peacekeepers aiming weapons at him or escaping victims; cursing his luck he leapt closer to the new opponents while disconnecting a sword to use as a shield. Cloud looked over, seeing Merle and Ichi take positions and shooting at the intruders as a loud noise came from the sky. The warrior blocked more gunfire, his shoulder was grazed by a bullet as he came down on a peacekeeper; the one next to him lost his head. He heard a grunt as several bullets smashed into the last troublemaker, killing it as the back of his skull imploded.

"Merle?!" Ichi went over to his friend after the battle, the man grasping his side on the ground.

Cloud came up to them as he disassembled his weapon, concern growing on his face. "Damn!" He bent down, moving Merle's hand to look over the injury. Cautiously looking at his backside, there wasn't an exit wound, and he shook his head. "Can't use a potion..." He looked up to the sky and saw the transport Reeve had spoken of; it was the Shera! Looking back down at the injured man he picked him up.

"Hurts like hell...Wonder if I'm gonna make it..." Merle asked, feeling light.

"Hold on, man." Ichi said as he watched over the rescued people on their way to the airship.

Cloud trudged on, and looked down at the peacekeeper; he was hard to carry because of his length. "Merle. You better survive, or your niece is gonna have to live with me."

He saw a ghost of a smile on the man's face. "Over my dead body, mutt." The warrior chuckled, picking up the pace as the airship landed.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

* * *

Ah, we're getting closer and closer to the end of the year! Please review for whatever reason, I love hearing on things in case I can improve or an idea that can be placed with in. The story is so long, I might make a second after this one is through for the sake of fun. Cloud is a busy person, isn't he?


	38. After so Long

"I suppose this could have gone better." Cait Sith said as he held onto Cloud's shoulder. "Shouldn't have given such a dangerous mission to them..."

The two had come from the medical bay after dropping off Merle, the doctors on board stabilizing the peacekeeper before attempting to remove the bullet lodged in his side. Ichi had stayed behind to keep watch over his friend, the warrior asking for updates into Merle's condition as they came. He had called Tifa with the news, and she agreed to tell Rosa; at the very least he was coming home alive.

Cloud shrugged. "We agreed to it." He walked down the hall of the Shera, towards the passenger room. He hungrily chewed on a piece of jerky he found in his leg pocket, keeping his hunger in check until he made it home. Despite his words, he had a twinge of regret.

The cat shook his head. "This isn't what we thought it was. The WRO is compromised by the whims of the underground..."

The warrior sighed. "Frankly, I just wanna take a break from this. Kill some more wolves in Edge, watch over the family...Tifa's been ill, I gotta take care of her."

"So I've seen. Perhaps you should take her to the doctor tomorrow?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. She smells kinda funny, too." He made a face, thinking back. "It's not sudden, either. I noticed it a little earlier in the week. But it's just too strong to ignore now." He entered the passenger room, which contained some of the tired faces from the facility they escaped just half an hour ago.

"...Smells funny?" The robot prodded. Reeve was obviously interested in what a werewolf can notice about a person through the sense of smell.

"It's just this different smell. It doesn't smell...bad, almost nice, but it kind of makes me feel different. Like I have to keep her safe even more than I usually do, if that's possible." He turned his head and gave a wry grin to his friend, who was giving a thoughtful, curious look. "What?"

"Maybe she's not sick."

Cloud rose a brow. "What else could she be?"

Cait Sith sighed, shaking his head. "You're not that dense, are you? Tifa might be pregnant."

Cloud scoffed. "After so many years? I'm pretty sure Hojo's seen to snuffing out any chance of that." he said sourly. _'Even then...I don't know if werewolves can reproduce outside infection. Can they have children?'_

The cat shrugged. "Why else would the scent be like that?" The warrior didn't respond.

The intercom crackled on, a gruff voice demanding Cloud's presence on the bridge immediately. The werewolf sighed, quickly walking towards his new destination instead of a seat like he was hoping for. "Guess Cid wants to see me."

He reached the bridge after a few minutes, the space holding only a few pilots, a few familiar survivors, and Cid Highwind, the most familiar face on the entire ship, to Cloud at least. The chain smoking pilot glanced at his friend and walked away from the ship's wheel, his assistant taking over. "Long time no see, Cloud. You can't seem to stay outta trouble, can ya?" He pat his friend's shoulder.

Cloud chuckled. "I earned my last name, I think."

"You sure as fuck did!" Cid said with a grin. "So, Barret's already told me everything last time I visited Junon. Was that the last kick in the balls to get ya to pop the question to Tifa? 'Cause god damn have you dragged your ass!" The pilot could be subtle and coarse at the same time, an interesting combination that Cloud wouldn't protest.

The warrior cocked his head, a blush on his cheeks. "Actually, yeah. It kind of was. I should have done it sooner, but..." He looked down. Cloud still thought the act was selfishness on his part, even if Tifa was more than happy to oblige him. But he reasoned, if Tifa was so happy with the arrangement, it was a good kind of selfish.

"You dragged your ass as slow as you could." Cid was shaking his head, grinning.

"Yeah. Guess my situation gave me a new perspective." He felt a little shameful for keeping Tifa waiting like that...

Cid nodded. "When's the party?"

Cloud sighed. "I don't know. I've been so busy with all of this crap." He waved his hand about in an exasperated fashion. "Someone needs rescuing, or something needs to be killed, or a monster shows up at my home while I'm camping with the kids...I need a real vacation after this year."

"Shit, sounds like it. Say, we're dockin' in Edge and gettin' these survivors a place to stay until the morning. Mind if I spend the night?" Cid asked, pointing out the observation window as the city came into view.

The warrior nodded. "Yeah. A little full tonight, but we should be fine." He frowned, looking at the three huddled together on the bridge; he spoke to them not too long ago, before attacking that scientist. "They're from Kalm, right, Reeve?"

"Town is on lock down. Don't worry, Elmyra is safe." He added, noticing the look on Cloud's face as he turned to look at the robot. "The woman said her husband was in Edge on business. Mind escorting them?"

He hesitated a moment. "...Yeah, I suppose so. Cid, I'll see you at the bar." He needed time to think, anyway. _'Tifa should be fine until I get back.'_

The pilot raised his arm dismissively. "Sounds good. Been a long day for me, too. Could use a beer or two." He bent his back backwards, popping it noisily. The warrior nodded, then walked towards the three and tapped on the woman's shoulder softly; she turned around and her eyes looked up at him in recognition.

Cloud nodded at her in greeting. "Hello, again...I'm supposed to escort you to your husband."

"Oh." She studied him as her daughter slept in her arms, then her eyes widened. "You're that courier. I didn't know you worked for the WRO..." Her voice carried a slight wariness to it.

"It's a recent development." He sighed, then looked over the three. "Does your husband know what happened?"

The woman nodded. "He's going to meet us at the plaza."

Cloud nodded. "I was going to head that way, anyway. I'll be at the bay doors when you're ready to leave." He turned to leave, stopping when the woman touched his shoulder; he gave her an inquiring look.

"Ah, when my daughter said what she said...was that true...?" Her voice was meek.

Cloud looked down at the little girl a moment, then back at the woman. "Do you think she'd be alive if it was true?" he said, testing her.

She frowned. "She was in that room...I don't know."

He turned around. "Then, 'maybe' is the answer." Cloud teased, walking away. He decided he'd visit the medical bay before they landed, double checking on Ichi and Merle.

* * *

"Cloud! How did your mission go? Oh, so that was the only one... Are Ichi and Merle okay? I see...Yeah, I'll tell her. Mhm, I'll see you soon, bye." Tifa ended the call, blowing air at her bangs as she tapped her fingers on the counter; she had been stirring the stew when her husband had called with good and bad news. She looked down at Rosa, the girl looking at the woman expectantly. Tifa bent down, putting a hand on her shoulder, and she felt a shudder from the child.

"Uncle Merle and Ichi, are they...?"

Tifa nodded. "They're alive, sweetie, but your uncle was hurt. He'll probably need a few weeks to recover, from the sound of it. Maybe less, the Shera has a good medical facility on it." Rosa looked down, sniffling, and Tifa gave the girl a hug. "Your uncle will be fine, Rosa. He just needs rest."

Rosa nodded, still dewy eyed from the news. "What do I do, until he comes home?"

"You can stay here if you'd like." Tifa gave a grin. "I'll teach you how to bake a cake, so you can surprise him when he gets out of the hospital."

The girl gave a tentative smile, nodding. "When he gets back, I'll be able to cook for us both. Neither of us can cook..."

"I see. I..." Tifa winced and held onto the counter with both hands, closing her eyes and focusing.

"Tifa?"

Yuffie came over, holding the woman's shoulders; she had observed her friend's distress from her seat at the counter. "Tifa, you better get to your bed before you have an accident...I'll help you up the stairs." She looked over at Vincent and waved him over. "Hey, Vinny! Stir this stew, will ya?"

"...I do not know how to cook." he replied.

Supporting Tifa, she rolled her eyes. "Just stir it, Gawd!" The ninja helped the woman up the stairs as Vincent walked towards the stove; Rosa found his presence unsettling as he silently stirred their dinner with a heavy sigh.

"I'm fine, Yuffie...No, bathroom. Not bedroom!" They both made their way to the desired room, Tifa gagging as she stumbled into the room and shut the door. She vomited bile and water into the toilet, quivering breaths between her retches. Her nausea passed after a while, and she stared off as she lost herself to thoughts and possibilities. _'Nausea, bloating...I'm...I'm late aren't I, yes, I am. This can't be.'_ Picking herself up, she opened the cabinet above her and reached for a box hidden in the very back that she always kept, just in case.

* * *

Yuffie patiently waited outside the door to the bathroom, ignoring the sounds coming from her poor friend and thinking about the troubles that were quite literally barking at their doorstep. Maybe none will show up, she reasoned. The only werewolf around was Penny, and she was helping guard the house. _'I wonder where she is?'_

Rosa charged up the steps after a few minutes, Yuffie looking at her with a raised brow. "Everything okay?"

"Um, your friend left, said there were noises outside the garage." Her face was worried.

Yuffie bit her lip and slowly pumped her fists. "Oooh...Stay here, I'll be right back!" The ninja leapt down the stairs, leaving Rosa to lean against the wall as she heard murmurings from the bathroom, Tifa obviously whispering to herself.

* * *

Tifa held the stick in both hands, her fingers trembling. They had been together for almost five years now, a little rocky in the beginning but now smooth as can be. They both thought his mako exposure had made him sterile, or perhaps some injury during her adventures with Cloud had barred her from genetic motherhood.

The pregnancy test told her they were both wrong, and Tifa wasn't sure how to feel about it.

This is why she smelled "funny" to Cloud. Why she was sick and irritable, why she felt bloated sometimes earlier in the week. She was pregnant with Cloud's child. Her child. There was a lot of different feelings swirling about; fear, happiness, worry, uncertainty. Would it be like...him? How would Cloud take the news? She can't hide this from him, it was growing in her belly! Tomorrow, when everything is sort of back to normal. Tifa decided she needed a quiet, private time with Cloud, just them.

She wrapped up the pregnancy test and hid it in the trash before cleaning herself up as best she could; Tifa stared at her reflection in the mirror, and her emotions were written all over her face. _'I'm having a baby...I'm having a baby...'_ She rubbed her abdomen, her mental chant slowly giving away to silent tears. _'I wanted one for so long, but now I have no idea how I should feel. Is this normal?'_ Tifa gave herself a few minutes to calm down before attempting to make herself presentable again and leaving the bathroom, Rosa looking up at her in the dim hallway.

"Where did Yuffie go?" The woman asked, curious about the ninja's absence.

The girl pointed downstairs. "She went to find Vincent, he went outside to check something...Um, are you okay, Tifa?" She noticed the woman's slightly puffy eyes and higher than usual voice.

"Y-yeah, I'm feeling a little better, sweetie." She still felt a little lightheaded, and put her hand to her forehead. If she tried to go down the stairs now, she'd likely fall over, and she knew it. "I should probably lay down, though. Who's watching the stew pot?"

"Kyrie."

Tifa nodded with a small smile. "Okay. I'll be in the bedroom if you need me for anything, alright?" Rosa nodded, and the woman headed towards the master bedroom, her hand sliding over the wall she leaned it against. The girl watched her until she heard Tifa plop onto the bed, then went into the children's room to discuss the goings on downstairs with the other three.

* * *

Penny didn't like the smell she came across as she enjoyed the cooler night air of the city. She followed it with Ithey insisting on joining her in her search; they silently stalked through the alley behind the bar as Penny sniffed for the source. It wasn't the scent of wolves, but something dirty and leather bound, something she hadn't smelled in a long time. Bad people.

She peeked behind the corner of Seventh Heaven and found a small pack of men in the alley, for what reason she could not tell. Could be drugs, could be casing the place, could be anything. The teen took a few steadying breaths, not the confrontational type in the first place. _'This is a bad idea. Ithey could get hurt...We can get Yuffie, or maybe Vincent...'_ She looked back at Ithey, shaking her head and motioning with a hand to go back, then suddenly felt her other wrist pulled violently; she was dropped to the ground with a grunt, and wincing she looked at the men leering at her.

Ithey charged out of the alleyway, knocking over one of the attackers with a running punch. The man's friends tried to come to his rescue, the older teen readying another punch as the pack came closer to him. He just needed to give her enough time, and they'd scatter.

"Yo, you two snoopin' on us?"

Ithey narrowed his eyes, doing his best to get into a defensive position. "You're behind a friend's home. Scram."

One of the men released a switchblade. "Fuckhead, we go where we want." A grin spread across the ruffian's face. "Maybe we'll mess with this bar, if it means so much to you."

"Maybe you should leave before you get your ass kicked."

The thug laughed. "You serious? You're outnumbered." he brought up his knife, as if it were obvious Ithey were delusional.

"Maybe you should go..." squeaked Penny, the girl standing up shakily. The group turned to her, the girl keeping her head down.

One of the men laughed. "Come on, this is a waste of time, let's just beat the shit out of the kid here and keep the bitch." Ithey scowled at him, then glanced at Penny, giving her a pleading look to hurry it up as the thugs looked towards Penny's mate.

She eyed his expression, and did the slightest of nods. Her reluctant nature turned to resolve, and she looked up at the attackers with her best glower. "I said, go! _**Leave!**_ " They snapped their heads at the warped voice, just in time to watch the meek girl rip out of her clothing and into a brown, furry beast that towered over them. Penny growled, still reluctant to attack. Several men ran off, the rest pausing before attempting to jump the werewolf.

The wolf kicked one into some trashcans with the pad of her hind foot, then headbutting a second as he slashed a knife on her arm. Ithey choked another thug, the man struggling to get the teen off of him and somehow fight a rampaging werewolf. Penny smacked another with the back of her hand, knocking the delinquent out and into the bar's outer wall; she was holding back. She growled again, and only Ithey picked up her discomfort at fighting, making him smirk as he struggled with his opponent.

The sound of a gun cocking made everyone pause and turn towards the noise; Vincent stood beneath the only light in the alleyway, his face neutral as he observed the fight. Ithey slowly dismounted the man he was attempting to bring down while Penny merely stared in his direction, blinking from time to time with her mouth hanging open.

Vincent nodded towards the remaining thugs. "Go, and don't come back." They stared at him hard, then ran off into the darkness like skittering rats; their knocked out allies the only ones left. The gunman walked up to Penny, the werewolf shrinking down to show as little aggression as possible. Vincent took off his cape, and wrung it about the wolf. "...You should change back now, Penny."

Ithey released a breath he didn't know he was holding in, and walked to his mate's side. "Didn't know you knew." The gunman gave a curt nod as Penny shifted back, hugging the red cape about her frame; the shade of which matched her cheeks.

"I-I'm sorry. I was gonna get someone, but they grabbed me, and..."

Vincent shook his head. "You did what you had to do."

"Hey, Vincent!" Yuffie turned the corner and stopped when she saw the teenaged girl wrapped in red fabric, then looked down to confettied clothing. "Oh. What happened?"

"Thugs behind the bar." Ithey said.

The ninja came up to Penny and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "You need new clothes. Let's get you inside, okay?" Yuffie noticed her new friend was in a slight state of shock, and gave her a pat as she clicked the garage door. "It's okay, Penny. You and Ithey did good, defendin' the bar like that!" The werewolf looked towards her, as if unsure she did the right thing, and the ninja just gave her a huge smile as they passed into the garage, Vincent sighing and shaking his head as he took the rear of the group.

* * *

Cloud walked down the road, the warrior escorting the females as he was asked; Cid stayed behind for a time to make sure the Shera was properly maintained for the night. The walk towards the plaza was quiet, which was welcome after the busy early evening he had. He had checked the time earlier, it was almost 10:30 now. _'The bar should be fine, if that scientist wasn't lying.'_

"So, this is the way to the plaza? I've never been to Edge." The woman said.

Cloud nodded. "It's a central feature of the city. My home is off a road from it."

"Oh, you live here?"

"Yeah, with my family."

The woman hummed as she nodded. "I guess that's why you're good with kids."

The warrior gave a shy smile. "Yeah." he paused a moment, then decided to continue. "I have three at home."

She looked towards him, brows raised. "But you're so young!"

"Well, they're adopted, but that doesn't matter in regards to family." he shrugged, casually walking with the three. He glanced at the sleeping girl, still smiling at her reaction to him. _''Doggy...''_

The woman noticed, and cocked her head. "What was she doing, when you found her?"

"Huh?"

"My daughter. They stuck her in one of those holding containers, that's what they said they'd do."

Cloud blushed. "Oh. She was sleeping." he sniffed the air; no fear. ' _Well, that's a relief_.'

"All alone?"

The warrior pointed in front of them. "The plaza is right up ahead..." Cait Sith snickered behind him, Cloud narrowing his eyes in the cat's direction. _'I can't get a break...'_

The other girl piped up. "She said Doggy was sleeping in the room, so she fell asleep, too."

"...I see."

"Aren't you Doggy?" The girl said, grinning.

He groaned. "Is your husband waiting at the monument?"

The woman pointed towards a person who was waving at them. "That's him!" she looked towards Cloud and smiled. "Thank you again for everything tonight. We just about lost hope in there..."

The warrior smiled back, relieved. "I'm glad we came in time to help. Just be cautious in the future, we don't know if they're gonna set up shop near Kalm again or not."

She nodded. "Good bye, 'Doggy'." The woman walked off before he could correct her, her older daughter waving goodbye, Cloud returning the gesture before turning towards the bar.

"Did nae have thae hart to tell'em yer name?" Cait Sith asked.

Cloud shook his head. "It doesn't matter. They're safe, and hopefully they can forget about me."

The cat chuckled. "I dinae think yer thae forgettable, laddy!"

They walked on, finally reaching the bar after another ten minutes of walking. Cloud noticed Tseng entering the establishment, giving him a nod before disappearing into Seventh Heaven. _'How the hell did he get here so quick? Whatever, he's probably here for Evan's family.'_

Entering his home he noticed the Turk speaking to Evan and Kyrie as the children sat at a table eating a late dinner. The smell of Tifa's stew made his stomach grumble loudly, remembering that he had only had a few pieces of jerky to hold him over while flying into Edge. He walked over to the children, their faces looking towards him as he took a chair to sit by them.

"Hey. Did everything go smoothly while I was gone?"

Denzel nodded. "Yeah. Um, Penny and Ithey fought some bad guys behind the bar, but Uncle Vincent and Aunt Yuffie came by and helped them out."

Cloud sighed. "Guess I'll have to ask them about that..." He looked towards Rosa, the girl's expression conveying worry. "Rosa, your uncle should be fine after some bed rest. He and Ichi were covering me and the survivors, he helped save a lot of lives tonight."

She gave a small smile. "He did?"

"Yeah. We'll take you to the hospital tomorrow to see him, okay?"

"Thank you." She looked down into her bowl a moment, then back at him. "Um, tomorrow...could I talk to you alone?"

The warrior nodded. "If you want."

Vits sighed, obviously a little irritated as he watched his guardians. "I bet Tseng's staying at our place tonight."

Cloud frowned. "I'm no fan of Shinra either, but he was a big help during our mission. I'll let them try to atone for what they've done in the past."

The boy shook his head. "It's personal."

The spiky haired man raised a brow. "You don't think it isn't for me, too? People I knew and cared about died because of them. I'll still let them try to make amends, despite personal feelings." the warrior said, looking towards Tseng momentarily. "Anyway, I'm gonna check on Tifa. You know where to find me if you need me." He lifted himself from the chair and walked towards the galley, giving Yuffie and Vincent a greeting and telling them to expect Cid soon before filling a bowl with stew. They kept him a few minutes as the ninja explained what happened, the two resting in his office. Cloud nodded, then headed upstairs to take care of Tifa.

* * *

 _'I'm pregnant...After all this time I'm finally pregnant. Did the mako not sterilize him? What about his lycanthropy, werewolves aren't supposed to reproduce, are they? Maybe it'll just be a normal baby.'_ Tifa's eyes were closed, her torso propped up by several pillows as she rubbed her abdomen. She sniffled, tears staining her cheeks in the darkness of the room.

The woman gasped as she heard someone clear their throat; she opened her eyes to Cloud's silhouette in the doorway, glowing eyes studying her with concern. He slowly traveled to her side of the bed and sat on its side, holding a bowl of stew. Tifa could tell he was sniffing the air around her, his face revealing his concern and curiosity.

"...Are you hungry, Teef?" he asked softly.

Tifa looked down, biting her lip. Her stomach was calm for now, but she was unsure for how long. Still, she needed to feed what was growing in her now. "A...a little bit. I don't know if I can keep it down, though." she rasped.

Cloud nodded, getting a spoonful of the thick broth ready as he gently blew on it. "Maybe just some broth for now, Teef." He brought the spoon to her mouth, the woman sipping from it gingerly; it was soothing as it trickled down her sore throat. The warrior cocked his head as he lowered the empty spoon, examining her wet cheeks. She looked at him shyly, then looked down. Tifa sniffled, then frowned.

"Cloud...why do you smell like mako?" She looked into his eyes, the warrior's face warping from anger; he told his wife what happened during the mission as he slowly fed her more broth. Tifa felt like crying again at the end of his story, but bit her lip instead.

"...I guess it was useful. But..." Cloud looked down into the bowl, his eyes stormy. Tifa understood intimately, and weakly brought her hand to his cheek, and he looked back at her with a softer expression.

She rubbed his cheek, then raised her hand to run through his hair. "I'm just glad you're home safe, Cloud. Please, just...stay here, with me. I know you might do something with the Shinra, but...for now, just stay. I need you." Her eyes searched his, and he nodded.

"I need to take care of you until you feel better, anyway." He prepared another spoonful of broth.

Tifa smiled. "I'll go to the doctor tomorrow..." she sipped from the spoon again. _'I'll get it confirmed, the tests aren't always accurate, right? Maybe some medicine for these symptoms...'_

Cloud nodded approvingly. "That smell is getting stronger." He looked away a moment, then brought his eyes back to hers. "...I've been ignoring it for a while now, too."

She frowned, looking this way and that. "What does it smell like?"

He sighed, giving her another sip of broth. "I can't really describe the smell very well. It's kind of warm, and it makes me feel...different."

"Different?"

"It's sending my protective instincts into overdrive, slowly. It was kind of hard leaving this evening, and it's going to be hard when I have to take Penny and Ithey back to their forest." He was frowning, obviously thinking as he jabbed some morsel in the bowl.

Tifa grunted softly, getting his attention. "I-I think I'd like a few solids, please."

He obliged, making do with a few small pieces of meat and vegetables. Cloud gently placed the spoonful in her mouth, watching her eat. His stomach grumbled, and Tifa looked towards his protesting belly.

"You didn't eat yet?"

The warrior shrugged. "I can eat later."

"Cloud..." She reached for the bowl, taking it from him gently. "Go eat and get cleaned up. I won't be able to get to sleep until you're next to me..."

He fidgeted, then reluctantly got up. He kissed her forehead and rubbed her cheek, Tifa giving him a tired smile back. She watched him leave the room as she slowly ate the stew, and suddenly felt a little bit better about the future.

* * *

"Damn, Cloud. On bowl three already?" Cid gulped his third beer as he sat next to the spiky haired warrior, who was happily chowing down on his late dinner; they had been talking about everything Barret may have left out or didn't have the details to.

Cloud looked up from his bowl, swallowing a mouthful. "I didn't really eat much today, I was starving..." he swirled the stew in his bowl, then brought his eyes back to Cid. "Thanks for agreeing to help Rosa with spears."

The pilot raised his glass. "Yeah, no problem. Kid's gotta learn proper like how to use them." The warrior had inquired after introducing Zeph and Rosa to Cid before sending the children to bed, Cid vocally approving of the girl's choice of weapon. "You said she's stayin' with your ass til her uncle heals up?"

Cloud nodded, chewing on a spoonful of stew. He looked back at the now empty bar; Evan and Kyrie had asked him to thank Tifa for dinner before Tseng escorted them back home, and Yuffie was in the office as Penny and Ithey used the last unused bedroom next to Zeph's; they insisted that they were used to not having a bed, but Cloud had seen to acquiring a few blankets regardless. Vincent was relaxing in the larger guest room downstairs, softly speaking to Cait Sith here and there, and Zeph insisted Rosa use his bed as he slept on some blankets on the floor. "They'll be in school, soon."

Cid sighed after a long swig of his beer. "Reeve better be payin' your ass enough gil for the hell you're going through. You got three kids you gotta pay tuition for, dote over, all that father shit." Cloud almost shot stew out of his nose, still uncomfortable with the title "father" even if he did see himself as the father figure of the house. It simply felt awkward, considering its non-use by the children in the house. Even Tifa was called "Mama" on occasion by Marlene; he was only ever Cloud.

The warrior composed himself. "The pay is better than the delivery service. I miss it sometimes, going all over the place was a lot of fun. But...I'm home a lot more now, it's nice." He drank from his glass of water, looking over at Cid.

The pilot gave a strong nod. "Good, so long as your shit's in order. Guess the whole wolf thing's been decent for your family life." Cid gave a chuckle, obviously buzzed. "Who the hell would have thought that'd happen? Man, only you of all the god damn people on the Planet could turn shit into gold."

Cloud snorted. "It's not like it's been easy..."

"Like I wouldn't fuckin' know. I traveled with your spiky ass almost five years ago now, and you were as fucking crazy as a three gil bill. But you got over that bullshit, and you're a hell of a lot stronger for it." He sipped his beer, thinking. "Life likes to throw your ass some curve-balls, bud. You always seem to make do, so I figure this should be nothing compared to that bullshit with Sephiroth."

The warrior had to chuckle at that. "I make do because of my friends and family. And if I didn't have Tifa, I'd have died drooling into my own lap in Mideel." He left his seat to pour the leftover stew in the pot into a container, then tossed it into the fridge. He looked back at Cid. "I'm gonna clean up and head off to bed. I can still smell the mako on my skin..."

His friend gave him a two fingered, casual salute. "Yep."

Cloud walked up stairs, ready for a shower and his bed. He still wasn't sure what to think of Tifa's illness or that strange smell that now followed his lover around, or if Reeve was correct in his assumptions. How many years have they been active? How many times had he been doused in mako? What about the fact he was now a shape shifting monster that was known to reproduce only through bodily fluids and scratches? _'What if the infection is the werewolf reproduction, what if it's not the same when it comes to normal reproduction...?'_ He wanted to say something to Tifa, but as usual, couldn't say the words. As he hopped into the steaming shower he blanked his mind, just wanting the cleansing water to wash away the evil that occurred that night.


	39. Confession

The next day was busy, Cloud and Tifa both working on the large breakfast needed for their guests and praying the water heater could keep up with the heavy use of the shower. Tifa had left for Dr. Drake's clinic, and Cloud went about cleaning up his desk in his office, dusting off the pictures of his family and friends. She would be back around lunch time, she had told him.

He leaned back in his chair, looking down at his black T-shirt and blue jeans; sometimes he didn't quite feel like wearing his usual ensemble unless he knew he had a job to do that day. Today wouldn't be one of those days; it would be a day with friends and family, and besides that it was refreshing to wear something else from time to time.

Cloud drummed his fingers upon his desk, brooding still over the escaped scientist. He didn't really care what advantages it gave him, he promised himself if he ever got a hold of that pathetic shell of a man again he'd slowly kill him for violating his body like that. No one had the right to inject him with anything against his will, no one had the right to toss him into mako to soak yet again.

Over time as he rearranged the contents of his desk drawers, Cloud's mind went to Tifa's illness. The entire night that smell rang out in his nose, compelling him to hold her snugly against him. He had sulked that morning when Tifa left for the doctor's alone, triggering her irritation; at the very least she hadn't puked up her dinner again. _'Maybe she's feeling better? Hopefully it passes soon...'_ Still, his mind went back to Reeve's conclusion. Part of him wanted to believe it, and another thought it impossible. Too long a time. Cloud bet on the frog making her sick. _'...The smell, though...'_

He heard a knock on the door that snapped him out of his revere, Rosa standing timidly in the doorway as he turned around. The warrior motioned her to come in, and she sat upon the edge of the guest bed she had used not very long ago; Cloud whirled his chair over to the door to close it for privacy and then moved it back to his desk, the girl looking somewhat intimidated by the action and isolation.

"...You said you wanted to talk to me." He held an inquiring gaze, though he was certain what the subject was.

Rosa slowly nodded, then looked down. "Um, I..." She bit her lip, not sure how to start the conversation now that she was alone with him.

"...You still need closure."

"Yeah." She looked back up at him sadly.

Cloud nodded, tapping his fingers on his desk. "He was an important person to you..."

Rosa nodded. "I didn't know Harry very long, but I felt close to him, like Ichi. I guess that sounds stupid..."

The warrior shook his head. "It's not stupid at all." he looked away, obviously thinking. "I had a friend I knew for a short time, but when she died it didn't cut any less deeper."

"Oh...so I guess you kind of know how I'm feeling right now."

Cloud looked back at her, his eyes haunted. "Yeah. So, if you hate me, or don't wanna forgive me, I understand. Even if it was self defense, it doesn't change the fact someone you cared about died."

Rosa looked away. "I don't hate you, not anymore. I guess I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all..."

He sighed, trying to properly put his thoughts into words. "The world isn't very black and white, is it?" Cloud eyed the pictures on his desk a moment, then looked back at the girl. "Our choices landed us where we are today. Maybe I should have stayed home that Full Moon, but maybe your uncle should have, too. How would either of us have known the other? It's like soldiers on a battlefield, fighting each other. Didn't know each other, didn't know who was waiting for the other back home."

The girl nodded, understanding the ambiguity of the situation; it still hurt. "I see." She looked back up. "Do you really blame Uncle Merle for it happening?" Rosa remembered the words Cloud spoke that morning after they took her to their home.

"I blame circumstance. How could they have known why I was out there, or who I was? We all had good intentions that night." The warrior shrugged; he'd easily admit feeling guilt over what occurred despite his actions being self preserving.

Rosa hummed, kicking her legs around a little. "Thank you for listening. I'm...still upset, but...this helped, a lot." she looked up at him and gave a small, tentative smile.

Cloud smiled back, nodding. "I'm sorry about all this. But, I'll try to help you and your family when you need it, if that's any consolation." He looked away a moment and then back, grinning. "You're welcome to visit Zeph whenever you'd like, but try not to have us go looking for you two in the night again. I'm hoping Zeph isn't making a habit of it..."

She giggled, nodding. "I'll keep that in mind."

The warrior glanced at the door, then back at Rosa. "Do you wanna visit your uncle now? He might be wondering how you're doing."

Rosa stood up from the bed, giving a strong nod. "Yeah!"

* * *

Tifa patiently waited in the clinic's office, sitting on the paper covered examination table anxiously. She picked at the fabric of the red blouse she wore today, examining her black shorts for anything of interest as her mind bounced around. The woman was waiting for the results promised by Dr. Drake, had been waiting for the last ten minutes. She looked up towards the ceiling, sighing.

The doctor came in a few minutes later, looking over the papers on his clipboard. He looked up at her, and gave her a smile. "Well, it seems you were correct Tifa...you're pregnant!" Dr. Drake walked a few more paces to his chair, sitting on it as he looked over the results. "Just a few weeks in right now, so we can't tell you much yet about the baby. I'll give you a prescription to calm your symptoms, but I'm afraid for the father, it won't stop your irritability and mood swings." He chuckled, as if he'd heard it all before.

Tifa chewed on her lip, her eyes darting back and forth. "Um, when will you be able to find out anything else about the baby?"

Doctor Drake cleared his throat. "We can do an ultrasound in maybe five weeks, I'll have it scheduled for the first week of October. Until then, take a multivitamin and this prescription, and get enough sleep." He handed her a script looking at her with a warm smile. "Congratulations."

The woman gave him a shy smile, obviously nervous about the pregnancy and the doctor seemingly considering the reaction normal; her worries were for less normal reasons. "Thank you, Doctor Drake." She shook his hand before they said their departing words, and she left the room, setting up her appointment at the hospital with the woman up front, then left the clinic.

Tifa walked towards the plaza after picking up her medication, watching the citizens of Edge wander about to their destinations much like she herself was. For a moment she thought of going to the hospital to meet Cloud and Rosa, the man having said he'd visit before lunch. Part of her was tugging towards him, but she knew what he'd ask.

She wasn't ready.

Onward she trudged towards the bar, a hand on her lower abdomen. She did it subconsciously, as if the hand could protect her baby from the strange, sick world it would be living in soon. Passing through the threshold of her establishment, Tifa walked up to the bathroom and took a pill before putting it in the medicine cabinet. She stayed in the bathroom for a time, pacing and thinking to herself; how would she breach the subject to Cloud? Maybe tonight. Sighing, she checked on Ithey and Penny; Yuffie and Vincent had gone to the WRO with Cait Sith in tow and Cid was checking on the Shera.

The two were playing a game with Denzel, Marlene and Zeph; Tifa was mildly surprised that the boy was interacting with Penny willingly now despite his still waning wariness. Everyone greeted her as her head appeared from the door; Ithey and Penny still obviously slightly jarred from last night's violence, though Yuffie's support seemed to have helped them through the worst of it. Marlene waved, getting Tifa's attention.

"Tifa, did the doctor tell you what's wrong with you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, sweetie. He gave me medicine so I feel better."

"Oh. So, what's wrong with you?" the girl pressed. "Was it the frog, like Cloud said?"

Tifa looked around uncomfortably. "Ah, it's something a bit different than that..."

Zeph and Denzel looked at each other, relieved they hadn't made their guardian sick with their frog prank, but curious of her illness. "So, what is it?" Denzel said.

Her cheeks burned. "It doesn't matter, sweetie! Anyway, I'm gonna work on lunch..."

Penny picked herself up. "Can I help?"

Tifa nodded before leaving the room and heading downstairs. _'What to make? Two werewolves to feed...burgers. Everyone likes those.'_ She went about distracting herself with food preparation, not noticing the strange look Penny gave her as she leaned against the preparation table. After a few moments she looked up at her, the teen's head cocked. Tifa frowned. "...Everything okay?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing..." Penny replied, scratching the back of her head.

Tifa looked away as she tore the wrap off the container of ground beef. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"If you say so, Tifa..." she glanced back at the woman as she came to meet her gaze, Tifa wearing an inscrutable face as she worked on the shape of the patties. Penny intuitively knew what she was going to make, and fetched some lettuce to cut.

Tifa sighed, finishing a patty and placing it on a plate beside the stove. "You can smell it, too."

"Yeah. I'm not too familiar with the scent despite smelling it before, but it sure is a curious smell..." Penny bit her lip, preparing to cut the leafy produce. She was wondering where she smelled it before...

The woman looked back a moment as she formed another patty. "What does it do to you?" she asked casually.

The teen hummed. "Makes me feel just a little more protective, I suppose. But we're all part of the same pack, right? So I guess I'd feel a little more so than usual." She sliced the bottom of the leaves, peeling them away. Penny smiled a bit at the thought; a loose knit pack of humans and werewolves.

Tifa nodded, though the werewolf couldn't see it. "Cloud's been the same way. He didn't want me to go to the doctor's alone this morning..." she smiled, remembering his pout before she left. His sulking had irritated her at first, but now was something cute and touching. "I don't know if I should let him stay in the bar when it's open, now. He might end up eating a patron if they touched me."

Penny giggled. "You know, part of the smell...it reminds me of something in the forest..." she tapped the side of the knife on the table, thinking. "I didn't feel protective at all, but it was coming from some of the deer..."

"...Oh?"

"...Yeah. It's usually in late winter and spring, and it's only the..." She turned around, Tifa already staring at her. "Oh, my God. Tifa, are you pregnant?" Penny whispered. The woman bit her lip and gave an almost invisible nod. The teen's eyes went wide. "We can have babies...?"

Tifa looked down. "I guess so. I...don't know how, or if it'll be...normal, yet." She went to wash her hands, then retrieved a pan; the actions were automatic as her mind wandered. _'Cloud should be the first to know...How many times have I scolded him for not telling me something, I should have said it last night!'_

"I wish I knew. There's only folklore books out there about us, and it was barely enough for Ithey to keep me sane the first time I changed." She sighed, thinking back as she took the cheese out of the fridge, then stood next to Tifa, holding her shoulder. "They really just talk about the bad stuff. But you know, since we aren't infectious like this, it's probably just a normal baby, I bet!" Penny gave a reassuring smile, happy that her friends were going to have a child.

Tifa placed a few burgers on the pan, then looked over at her friend, the girl giving a reassuring smile. "I hope for that, too. Guess after it's all said and done, there'll be enough to write another book on the subject." she said in a coy voice. "Still, it's almost like floating through a dream..."

"The whole werewolf thing?"

"Yeah. Cloud turning into the one thing I'm truly terrified of...and somehow, we made it work. I wouldn't abandon him over such a thing, but it was just so terrifying at first. Now, it's like it's nothing at all to me." Tifa checked the first batch of patties, then returned her gaze to the teen. "Well, I mean you and Cloud. Any other and it's like I'm a scared little girl again..."

Penny nodded. "How come you're so terrified of werewolves? Not that there isn't a reason to be..."

Tifa chuckled, flipping the patties. "They were just terrifying in the movies I watched, and the children used to joke about them being in the woods..." A memory passed through her mind, and she shuddered. "There were a lot of wolves in the woods and mountains near Nibelheim."

The teenager hummed, preparing a tomato. "Maybe there was one near your hometown that wandered about."

"...Yeah. That's where Cloud was infected." She remembered what he had told her; Reno said there was an old one living near Nibelheim. The thought made her skin crawl. They spoke more as they prepared the lunch, the first of her friends beginning to trickle in from their mid-morning duties. Before they were in earshot, Tifa asked the teen to not say anything to anyone; Penny understood, the duty of telling Cloud Tifa's alone.

"I'm telling Ithey when we get home, though."

"That's different!"

* * *

"Uncle Merle!" Rosa charged up to the hospital bed holding the injured peacekeeper, the man beaming as he swept away his thick bangs from his eyes. She gave him a hug as he laid there, slightly propped up by the bed's angle and Ichi sitting in a chair nearby. Cloud entered quietly, watching over the three in the room.

Merle smiled, hugging the girl back. "Have you been keeping out of trouble?"

"Uncle Merle, you've only been gone a day!"

He chuckled. "I've been away for shorter periods of time only for you to get lost." Merle looked towards Cloud, giving him a nod. "...Thank you for watching her while I'm in here." It was a reluctant but sincere thanks, Ichi nodding the sentiment of the words.

The warrior nodded. "It's not a problem. How long do you have to stay here?"

Merle grunted, rolling his eyes. "About a week. That stupid mutt of a peacekeeper..." he looked away, angered by the betrayal. That could have been him, if Tseng hadn't come to the rescue.

Ichi spoke up. "We aren't really sure how many of them are out there now, or if they have another machine...or at least, that's what I've heard so far."

Cloud frowned. "They'll be a problem. If I can't smell them..." Granted they couldn't smell him either, now. Penny had mentioned it at breakfast; the wolf scent simply wasn't there. His face would be familiar, though. "...hounds will be useless against these guys, too."

"Well what the hell are we gonna use now, if they're undetectable by scent and silver can't do a number on them anymore?" the injured peacekeeper pressed.

"...Didn't you say something about stink bombs, Cloud?" Ichi asked.

He nodded. "Really strong smells will do a number on them, I'm sure." Cloud told of Marlene's stink bomb incident, and how it temporarily incapacitated him. "You throw those into a crowd, you'll know really fast who's human and who isn't."

"The WRO is gonna need to invest in some spray canisters, then." Ichi said. The three adults were certain Reeve was thinking up a way to administer something protective to the public.

The warrior sighed, giving a nod. "Yeah. I'd bet the gil in my wallet it's gonna be a fun item for kids when they make them public." That he was sure of; he had already told Reeve about his weakness to strong smells. He could only hope that no one sprayed him in the face with it when it finally reached the market.

Merle snorted. "Like you wouldn't get anything like that for your kids. You already teach them how to fight..."

Cloud's eyes lit up, and he pointed towards Rosa. "Yeah. Oh, my friend is teaching her how to properly wield her spear this afternoon. He knows how to use them like no one else."

"Who is it?" Ichi asked.

"Cid Highwind."

Ichi looked at him with his indigo eyes, searching the strange werewolf. "How do you know all of these people...you were just a courier before. Right?"

Cloud looked away, face reddening. "...A courier gets to meet a lot of people." They didn't need to know. He didn't like the taste of celebrity, preferring a quiet life with his family. If he could get a quiet life at this point.

"I think you're full of shit, mutt. But I guess it doesn't matter." Merle said, though his voice wasn't nearly as venomous as it had been in the past. "...Just promise to keep Rosa safe while I'm in here." he sighed.

"I promise. I think I'm gonna stay near the bar for a while anyway, after I drop off Penny and Ithey." He was already a little down because Tifa wasn't with him, and after lunch he'd have to drop them off before returning the truck to the rental shop.

Ichi blushed. "Ah, sorry about that day..."

Cloud raised a brow, looking at the short peacekeeper. "Huh?"

"You know. That girl...We thought you ate her since the day we saw you with her." Ichi rubbed the back of his head.

The warrior shook his head in disgust. "I make do with Tifa's cooking, thanks..."

"She's a werewolf, anyway." Rosa said casually.

Merle looked down at her, then at Cloud, his eyes stormy. The warrior gave a wry grin. "...Another werewolf."

"She doesn't have blood on her hands, relax."

The girl looked at her uncle with a mischievous smile. "Penny's really nice. Zeph said she lives out in the woods."

The peacekeeper moaned into his hand. "Okay, whatever. As long as you're safe." He sighed. "I have to trust you with my brother's daughter..." Merle mumbled.

Cloud snorted. "Have I betrayed your trust?"

"...No, not yet."

Ichi shook his head. "At least we aren't trying to kill each other anymore."

Rosa nodded. "I like it better when you aren't trying to kill each other."

They spoke for a while longer, Rosa hoping her uncle would be out by the time she went to school, Ichi promising to drop by the bar, and before they left Cloud reached his hand towards the injured man. Merle hesitated, then shook it. Both doubted they'd ever be friends, there was still the bad blood of that fateful night that entangled their lives together; some modicum of trust was there, however.

* * *

Lunch had been mostly pleasant, Cloud basking quietly in the presence of his friends as he happily ate his cheeseburger; Vincent was being hounded by both Cid and Yuffie with playful banter as the man attempted to eat in peace, a thin ghost of a smile on his pale face betraying his feelings. Cloud sat as close as humanly possible to Tifa, the woman having avoided his questions about the doctor except to say she was given medication for her nausea. He left it at that for now.

The children still talked with Penny and Ithey about the forest, the most curious of all being Rosa; the girl had not seen the green outside the Midgar Wastes since her family evacuated to Kalm during Meteorfall, so the descriptions of the forest and the creatures there fascinated her.

"I'd love to see a forest someday."

Penny smiled. "Visit some time! It's nice to have friendly visitors once in a while."

Rosa blushed. "Maybe some day..."

Cid looked over, pointing a finger at the girl. "After we're done here, I'm gonna teach you how to use that spear of yours! They're the best damn weapon on the Planet to have."

Cloud snorted. "I think swords trump spears."

Zeph nodded. "Yep. Way cooler." Cloud looked back at him with a grin. Denzel was smiling into his burger, expecting some harsh words from the pilot.

Cid waved his hands dismissively at them. "The hell would you know Cloud, all you do is swing that damn thing around like it's your-"

"Cid!" Tifa scolded.

Cloud reluctantly left the bar after his lunch, worry panging at him. Tifa avoided his questioning whenever he had a chance alone with her, her irritation growing in her scent and face as he continued. Was it something bad, was she dying? His mind was a thousand miles away as he drove out of the city, Yuffie hanging her head out of the passenger side window as Penny, Ithey and Vincent sat in the truck bed talking. Perhaps it was more Penny and Ithey speaking and Vincent listening; the man had merely been passing through Edge and had decided to visit when he saw Yuffie was in trouble, and wished to wander again. The couple had offered to let him rest at their place, and he decided to agree to it out of curiosity.

Yuffie groaned. "Man, drive a bit smoother, will ya Spike?"

"I wanna get home as soon as possible." He said curtly, his hands gripping the wheel. "You didn't have to come, you know."

"I wanna see their forest! What if like, we need to get them in an emergency or something?"

The warrior sighed, immediately going back to Tifa's illness. Yuffie seemed to pick up on it as she took a deep drag of fresh air.

"She hasn't told you what's wrong yet?" the ninja looked back towards Cloud, the man momentarily looking at her before returning to the road again.

"...No. She keeps dodging my questions." He sighed, obviously irritated and worried.

Yuffie sat back down and gave Cloud's shoulder a pat. "I'm sure she'll tell ya when the bar is calmed down." She swayed back and forth, thinking. "I hope it's nothing too serious. She had that look on her face, you know?"

The warrior's brows knit together. "W-what look?"

"That same one she had that day we went through the Northern Crater for the first time. You know, you were totally out of your gourd, Tifa wants to say something to you but she just couldn't..." The ninja hummed, thinking. "Maybe not _that_ intense, but like, I can see it in her eyes. I wonder what's wrong with her..."

Cloud sped up, biting his lip. _'Something is wrong with her. That's why I want to protect her. I can't do anything if it's that serious...but Marlene said she had medicine now. I should have looked in the cabinet before I left! I have to do something, help her somehow. But what does she have?'_

Yuffie jammed her head back out the window, trying to calm her stomach as her friend pushed the truck to its limits. "She'll be alive when we get back, Furball. Calm it!"

"You don't know that!" Cloud snapped back.

"Omigawd, you're so dramatic!" she rolled her eyes.

Cloud finally slowed down as he took the truck off road, but it didn't really help either of their stomachs. The warrior was still too panicked to care that Yuffie might release her lunch into the cabin. After a time he slowed down, approaching their friend's home territory. Yuffie looked about when her nausea ebbed, observing the forest in front of them.

He came to a stop, and the ninja jumped out of the truck, groaning. After a moment she felt a gloved hand on her back and she looked up; Vincent was watching her with his blood red eyes, making sure she was alright in that silent way he'd done many times before.

She gave a small smile. "Hope you'll be around the next time I'm being attacked by a super-beast."

Vincent chuckled. "...I hope so, too. Take care, Yuffie." He gave her shoulder the gentlest of squeezes, then walked off to say his goodbyes to Cloud.

The warrior was leaning against the side of the truck, an impatient look to his haunted eyes. Vincent cocked his head, Cloud finally noticing him and giving a nod. "Thanks for helping out, Vincent."

The tall, raven hair man nodded. He looked towards Penny and Ithey, then back towards his old friend. "Keep me posted." He meant it in more ways than one, both knew it.

"Goodbye, Cloud. Thanks for having us over...Was pretty cool to see the city again." Ithey said, giving a smile.

Penny nodded. "I'm sure we'll see each other again, soon." She noticed the troubled look on Cloud's face, and a grin grew, causing the man to frown. "Oh, I'm sure Tifa's fine, Cloud."

He sighed. "I don't know that." Why was she smiling? Reassurance?

The group continued their goodbyes for a few more minutes, Cloud promising to visit once in a while; Penny quietly complimented him on his ability to hunt with another, causing him to give a tentative smile despite his urge to see Tifa again. Soon, he was back on his way towards Edge, the sun slowly making its way towards the Western horizon.

"So, the kids are gonna be back in school soon, huh?" Yuffie casually asked, her stomach feeling better after stealing a pill from Cloud's back pocket.

He nodded. "Yeah. Zeph's never been to school before, this'll be his first year."

"Ooooh, he should do just fine, especially with Rosa by his side!" The ninja had a silly grin on her face, Cloud looking towards her and frowning before focusing on the road again.

"...They seem to be good friends, after everything that happened to them." the warrior said. "Marlene and Denzel will be there for him, too."

Yuffie nodded. "Oh, Spike. It's still kinda funny, seeing you as a family man. Even after all this time! I mean, I'm proud of ya and everything, but..."

"...It's in a contrast."

She nodded again. "Yeah. Hm. Maybe one day you'll get to play uncle for my brats, when I finally get down to it..."

Cloud snorted. "I look forward to it." He meant it; it'd be his turn to give a friend's children sweets before bed and not care about the consequences. The thought made him grin.

Edge was on the horizon as they silently made their way towards their destination, Yuffie's discussion calming the worried werewolf somewhat as they went along. The warrior was about to start another conversation when a crunching noise reached their ears along with a groaning sound, and he pulled the truck over with a curse on his lips.

Cloud got out of his seat and opened up the front of the truck, a hissing sound issuing from the engine. He sighed, looking it over. "Damn. I can't fix this..." the warrior growled, his patience waning. He took out his phone, calling a tow truck as Yuffie looked about the wilderness, watching for monsters. "Yeah, we're close to Edge. No, just drop it off at this place..." Cloud rattled off the address. Clicking off his phone, he leaned on the truck and sighed.

"How long?"

"...One hour, if we're lucky." His voice was quiet, but Yuffie knew that tone.

She did a slow pace, looking towards the Midgar Ruins in the distance at times. "So, um...Maybe we should go back into the truck...We left our weapons at the bar, so..."

"...If anything bothers us I'll tear it to shreds." Cloud said curtly.

"Right."

They said nothing more, Yuffie sitting by her friend's feet as he stewed. She looked up at him, feeling a curious heat radiating out of him; his face was full of focus and he was taking heavy breaths. The ninja frowned, gently taking one of his hands. "Hey. Calm down."

"Yuffie, I..." Cloud slid down, sitting next to his friend. She hushed him softly, patting his hand that now rested on his knee.

"I know you wanna see Tifa, Cloud. She's just waiting at the bar for us to get back." she said in her most soothing voice.

He sighed heavily, putting his hand through his spikes. "I know. It's just...I feel like my instincts are going haywire right now. I don't know what's wrong with her, and...right now, I could just run back to the bar and not care who saw me."

She chuckled. "That's all we'd need, you causing a scene in the middle of the afternoon." Yuffie looked up, obviously pondering. "That medicine she's taking should help, right? I bet it's nothing."

"I guess so. I just wish she'd tell me what's wrong..." He looked down, a jab going through his heart. _'Is this what I put her through...'_

"Hm, maybe she's scared of your reaction. I mean, you didn't want her to worry when you had Geostigma. But, she found out anyway. I don't think she's gonna try and hide it away quite like that, but..." She scratched the back of her head, Cloud giving her a sad look with his haunting blue eyes. "Hey, when we get back, How about I take the kids out to the movies and you two can talk. Cid should be going back to the Shera after he's finished giving Rosa pointers, so you two'll have the house alone!"

Cloud slowly nodded, allowing himself to smile. "Thanks, Yuffie."

They waited by the roadside, occasionally punctuating the silence with talk. He drilled the ninja on her crush, while she asked him if he was worried any about the new WRO plan for the new monstrosities.

"If people start spraying as a greeting, yes."

She shrugged. "We got your back, Spike."

Eventually the tow truck made its way to them, both glad to finally be back on the road to the city. The vehicle was slower than Cloud would have liked, but he held his tongue as Yuffie chatted up the driver. Eventually they made it to the rental shop, Cloud paying both the tow driver and the shop owner; the insurance he had bought would cover the repairs, and the warrior sighed in relief as he left for home.

Yuffie barged into the bar, the place busy with customers being served by Tifa and Marlene, the boys working on busing tables. Cloud looked about, growling softly at the scents of young males in his territory; he usually ignored them, but not today. He left to go upstairs and brood in his office, certain he wouldn't get the answers he wanted from Tifa just yet; she avoided eye contact with her greeting. The warrior sat at his desk, head cradled in his arms as he thought and stewed and listened to the sounds downstairs.

After a while Yuffie came up to the office and met Cloud's eyes, giving him two thumbs up; it soothed his emotions somewhat. Now all he had to do was wait for the bar to close for the night and he could confront his wife properly. He thought of helping her downstairs, but if he saw anyone touch her inappropriately he'd be liable to kill in his current state of thinking.

He huffed, walking towards the bathroom. What medicine is she on, he wondered. He felt guilty for snooping, but he reasoned she should have said something earlier to him in the first place. Cloud popped open the medical cabinet behind the mirror and found a prescription; it had Tifa's name on it. He looked it this way and that, frowning.

 _'Nausea, dizziness, bloating...what's causing this?'_ She was dizzy? That's no good at all. He replaced the medicine, closing the cabinet with a sigh. He didn't want to wait. Cloud decided to go downstairs and see if Cid was done training Rosa yet as a good distraction from his growing concerns. Ignoring the sounds as best he could he passed the bar, looking Tifa in the eyes before disappearing through the garage door.

He watched them in the alley as Cid warmly taught the girl how to use her spear, the girl obviously more comfortable with the weapon now than the day they first met. Cloud snorted quietly as he remembered her attempts to swing Zeph's sword at him as he towered over her, the girl having only a few minutes of practice with the warrior under her belt. Cid looked up and gave a lazy nod as he fished for a cigarette, lighting up and leaning against the wall of the establishment.

"Yep. She'll be a natural with that spear, just you wait!"

Cloud leaned back next to the pilot, arms across his chest as he watched the girl work on a dummy. "Good. Thanks again for this."

Cid casually blew smoke out between his lips, softly nodding. "Yep. Gotta keep safe in this sick ass world."

"Everything alright while I was gone?"

The pilot snorted before taking another drag of his cigarette. "No shit, everything's alright in the bar, isn't it?"

"...Yeah." Cloud dead panned, his cheeks a little pink.

They stood there watching for a while, then Cid flicked away his butt and dusted off his hands. "It's been fun, but I bet ya Shera misses my ass right now. I'm gonna say bye to your missus and head off." He gave Cloud a strong pat on the back before saying his goodbyes and encouraging words to Rosa, then left for the bar after the warrior gave him a wave.

Cloud watched the girl as she worked on her form and slash, the warrior raising his brows at her advancement. Either she picked up the weapon well or Cid was just a good teacher. Yuffie barged through the door after a few more minutes, making both denizens of the alley jump and turn towards her as she jogged through the garage.

"Heeey, Rosa! You wanna come with me? The kids are goin' to the movies, wanna join?"

The girl's eyes lit up and she looked back from Yuffie to Cloud, the man giving an approving nod. "I'd love to!" She ran towards the ninja and placed her weapon on the shelf, Yuffie peeking out and giving her friend a wink before disappearing again. Cloud sighed, collecting his thoughts as the final customers finished within the bar before confronting Tifa.

* * *

Tifa wiped down the counter to the bar anxiously, the establishment quiet; Yuffie had taken the children out to watch a movie almost half an hour ago, and she wondered if Cloud would be back in soon or not. She both wanted to tell him the news so very badly, and did not wish to say anything at all. It would change everything, she just knew it. _'He has to know, he has to know...It's his baby, too.'_

"Tifa..."

She jumped and yelped, turning around wildly a wide-eyed Cloud stood in front of her. He cocked his head as his eyes darted this way and that way, as if unsure what to do. She scowled, throwing the cloth in her hand at him. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" The woman walked towards the fridge, pouring herself some juice.

Cloud sighed. "Sorry..." He rubbed the back of his neck and then looked towards Tifa, the woman sipping her drink with a wary expression on her face. "Tifa, what did the doctor say?"

She looked down as she placed her glass on the counter, not wanting to look her husband in the eyes. "I, Cloud..." Tifa rubbed her face.

He was right in front of her in an instant, his warm hands holding her arms and his forehead on hers. "Teef, I need to know...please." he pleaded. Cloud was obviously studying the strange scent coming from her, the woman studying his breathing. "What's making you sick..."

She didn't say anything, but softly placed her hands on top of his head as she bit her lip, then gently pushed it down towards her abdomen. Tifa brought one of her hands to her abdomen, rubbing it slowly. "There." she croaked.

Cloud frowned, sniffing. "It's so strong here..." He placed a hand on her abdomen, then looked up at her with the most confused look on his face, softly shaking his head; he either didn't understand or refused to believe it without verbal prompt. She nodded, blinking several times.

"...I...I'm pregnant, Cloud."

His mouth opened in surprise. "But I thought..."

"I did too. Looks like we were both wrong." She gave a weak laugh before sniffling. "...I should have told you last night, I took a pregnancy test but I...I just couldn't." Her eyes were teary now, and she bit her lip again.

Cloud raised himself up again, holding onto Tifa. He didn't say anything for a while, the woman knowing he was merely thinking over the news quietly as he gently rubbed her back. "...Will it be normal?" he finally whispered to her.

Tifa sighed, snuggling into his shoulder. "I hope it is, Cloud. If it's not, well...we'll go from there."

He kissed her forehead softly, his hand now running through her chocolate brown hair. "I love you, Tifa."


	40. Who Are You?

The week passed by quickly for Cloud, the man enjoying his time with Tifa as he took time off from his job for several days, returning to his duties to guard the city against werewolves as Cait Sith observed; it had spent some time in the WRO building for repairs after the werewolf attack at the bar. Still, the warrior didn't stray as far as he had in the past, not just yet; and when he did he would ride Fenrir out to a designated sector to hunt. He disliked the feeling of leaving the bar, his "den", unguarded, even if Tifa was a competent fighter.

It was funny to him, that the day to day hunt of werewolves and the occasionally criminal human took the edge off his compulsion to hunt properly. It was welcome of course, but he wasn't quite sure what he would do after he had eliminated the beasts from his territory. Perhaps move on to Junon or take out small time gangs, both would sate him, he reasoned.

He was still somewhat in a state of disbelief in regards to Tifa's pregnancy, but was otherwise absolutely elated. Cloud was sure the baby would come out human, though the worry panged at him here and there, the what-ifs. Whatever happened they'd weather it, he promised her; and her mood seem to be improved from hearing it from him of all people. They had yet to break the news to the others, deciding to do so after the first ultrasound.

Of course he had fretted over the experiments done to him in the past, though there had been reports of Soldiers having normal children from escapades while off duty. Still, he had truly believed the mako would have sterilized him at the very least; he and Tifa had a rather healthy relationship after he returned home, cured of Geostigma. Cloud was certain he would fret over it, but not to the extent of the possible lycanthropy of his unborn child.

The day before the children were to go to school Merle had showed up with Ichi in tow, the man occasionally coming in to keep tabs on his friend's niece during the week if they couldn't make it to the hospital. Rosa brought out a cake she had baked with Tifa's assistance, the man's face lighting up at his niece's culinary progress. They had spoken about school and how she was holding up at the house, the girl enjoying her time with her new friends and especially Zeph. Saying goodbye to the family that watched over her for the week, she promised to wait at the school gates for them.

"You nervous, Zeph?" Denzel asked with a raised brow.

The boy glanced over with his jade eyes. "Me? Nah."

"You look it!" Marlene playfully chided.

"I am not!"

"Guys..." Cloud and Tifa said in unison, the couple trying not to smile. Tifa spoke up. "Zeph, it's okay if you're a little nervous at school, it's your first time at one."

Cloud nodded. "School's always a little scary the first time you go."

"Hey!" Vits was running towards them from behind, Evan and Kyrie in tow. He stopped as he met the group, his guardians not far behind.

They chattered a bit together, the two couples doing the same as they came to meet them. They were met by Merle and Rosa next, the girl obviously nervous coming to a new school, but happy to see her new friends. Soon the children left towards the gate, the adults watching as they disappeared into the crowd of students.

"I hope Zeph adapts well to school." Tifa said.

Cloud shrugged. "He's not alone in there, at least." He turned to Merle, giving him a nod. "Neither is Rosa."

"Vits is happy to have a few more friends, too." Kyrie said, her eyes lingering on the gates.

Cloud turned about, sighing. He mumbled to Tifa about his afternoon appointment with Yuffie at the WRO building, the woman trying not to laugh. "Maybe you should wear some of your older clothing..."

"...Maybe."

After lunch, Cloud anxiously made his way towards the WRO building that was right off the plaza. Cait Sith clutched his shoulder as he entered the building, looking about for his friend. Yuffie appeared quickly, the young woman bounding over and grabbing his wrist with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Oh, thank you so so so much for testing these formulas out for us!" she whispered in his ear.

Cloud groaned. "Already havin' second thoughts about this..."

"Don't wimp out, now! It's not lethal at all!"

He shook his head. "It's uncomfortable. What if I change or something?"

Yuffie looked back at him with a brow raised. "Could that happen?"

"I don't know. The kids got me before my first Full Moon..." The warrior frowned as they finally made it into the room. It was well ventilated or looked to be as such, and had no windows. Cait Sith climbed off of his friend and walked towards Yuffie's position, the ninja locking the door and then going up to several ominous looking canisters that made Cloud look nervously this way and that.

Yuffie picked up the canisters as Cait Sith found a clipboard and pen. It looked up towards Cloud, nodding. "This won't take long, we just need to know what stench is most effective on werewolves." It was meant to be reassuring.

Cloud sighed, rubbing his face. "Yeah, okay. Let's get this over with."

The ninja came within ten feet of him, holding a canister with "1" painted on it. "Guess we'll start with this one..." She bit her lip, an apologetic look on her face. "Here we go...Sorry, Cloud."

"Yeah, whatev-" His eyes began to water and he began to cough. "What the hell..." Cloud bent over and put his hands on his knees as his system tried to flush the bad smell away. The warrior recovered after a few minutes, wiping tears from his eyes. "That wasn't as bad as Marlene's stink bomb...I still didn't like it."

Cait Sith jotted something down. "If you were sprayed with it again, do you think you'd recover faster?"

"Probably...and I'd be pissed."

After another minute to make sure her friend recovered, Yuffie pulled out a second canister. "This one should be a bit stronger..." Cloud braced himself, and soon the smell creeped into his sensitive nose, eliciting a stronger reaction; he dropped to the ground and panted for fresh air, his eyes flooding with tears as he wheezed for water to soothe his throat. Yuffie complied quickly, holding his head as he sipped from a water bottle slowly. She observed him for the next five minutes, though she was wincing from the remnant sting of the gas.

He sighed, the ninja using a cloth to wipe off his tears as he let out a sniffle from his runny nose. "That was like inhaling a bowl full of cut onions..." he quivered a breath, taking his time to recover.

Yuffie gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Easy, Spike." She looked over at Cait Sith. "This stuff incapacitates for a while!"

The robot nodded. "I have to admit, it's not fun for humans to smell, either." Reeve had obviously sampled these smells.

"At least you don't drop to the ground like a sack of potatoes." Cloud wheezed. After some more minutes and a few more sips of water he recovered, sighing heavily. "That was horrible."

The ninja held up the last canister, giving a sympathetic look. "If this stuff chokes you, I'm usin' my Heal materia, Spike."

"...Are you sure it isn't my materia that you just happened to be borrowing?" Cloud asked dryly before standing up again.

Yuffie waved a hand. "As if!" The look Cloud gave her assured her he knew she "borrowed" materia while he was camping. The ninja giggled nervously then pointed the canister at him. "Okay! Three, two, one..."

The smell overpowered him almost immediately, the scent like a tire fire in his nose. He could hear Yuffie coughing from the smell over his own retches and growls, his eyes dry and burning and his nose running before falling to the floor. "Urgh..."

"Woooo..." Yuffie was reeling. "This one might not be so good..." She looked over at Cloud, the man obviously trying to keep from either fainting or destroying his clothing. His face was a mess of disgust and focus, warped into some wolfish visage as he panted. The ninja walked over, fanning away the fumes the best she could from both of their faces. "Too much, too much!"

" _ **Yeah...**_ " the werewolf growled between hoarse coughs. He felt a soothing energy on him as Yuffie used her materia on him, causing him to sigh in relief; it eliminated the effects of the horrible smell. Cloud rubbed his face, sniffling and then looked back towards his friend, his blue, bloodshot eyes showing his displeasure with the third scent. "I could barely breathe. I'd say the second one is the best, humans won't react to it as badly and it incapacitates for a long while." He sat up, still slightly phased.

Yuffie nodded, handing him the water bottle. "I think I agree, Furball. That last one was like Marlboro Breath!" After giving him another minute she helped him up. "We're gonna produce number two. Try not to get too many hits to the face with this stuff, okay?"

Cloud snorted. "If I catch the scent of that crap I might have to investigate just in case..." He sighed. "It's my job, right?"

Cait Sith nodded. "We have your back, Cloud."

* * *

It took a couple of weeks for production to meet civilian demands, just in time for the next Full Moon to Cloud's chagrin. He could smell it faintly throughout Edge, the scent occasionally burning his eyes; at times he would wear his goggles just to keep the fumes out. Tifa banned it from use in the bar to his relief, the thought of inebriated patrons spraying each other in the face and stinking up the bar not a pleasant one.

He had already had a close encounter with the familiar substance as he prowled a nearby neighborhood as a wolf scent hit his nose, a teen girl mistaking his grim demeanor as he stalked the dark alley she was using a threat; she sprayed when he had come too close while paying attention only to the trail, causing him to collapse into a coughing, snorting mess. The teen had screamed and ran away, Cloud struggling to get to a side alley to hide as he recovered. He hoped to Gaia the alley was too dark for her to make out any details.

"So, you're going tomorrow?" Tifa asked quietly from the bed, rubbing her belly rhythmically. Cloud brought his hand over hers, then nodded.

"Yeah. I don't wanna leave you for so long, but...Rufus wants that mine cleared out." He looked away, leaning on his side of the bed. "...And I want answers."

Tifa nodded. She wanted answers, too. The mine was a small one near Nibelheim that opened up recently, the mythril veins shifting closer to the surface by the force of the Lifestream during Meteorfall. Rufus had told Cloud it had been out of production for a while now because of powerful monsters native to Cloud's homelands and that devilish werewolf that would appear and devour a miner rarely. Cloud couldn't let the opportunity to confront him slip out of his hands.

He had told Tifa as much, wanting to finish off the one who changed him that spring; he could forgive the scratch because of all the people it helped him save, but he couldn't forgive that violation to his body, nor the lives lost because of that beast over its lifetime. It would just be another mysterious monster if not for that fateful night, ruining their cover as just myths.

He told Rufus he'd go. The Turks were stretched thin and he didn't want to risk infection or death in a claustrophobic space like a mine, surprising the warrior with his concern for what he thought were merely peons to the former world president. Cloud shuddered at the thought of a werewolf Reno, the man already an astute pain in the ass when he wanted to be. The warrior knew he'd be stuck helping them if anything like that happened, and he'd rather go out and fix it himself. The pay was very nice, too; he had to admit that Rufus Shinra was generous when he wanted to be.

"Barret said he'd watch the bar while you were gone." Tifa said, rubbing her ring. There had already been a few close calls with Cloud as he returned from his patrols, young men flirting with her causing him to take a seat by the counter, glaring at them. On several occasions he had taken orders to leering, drunk patrons instead of letting Tifa do it, and almost broke another's arm as he escorted the man out for his inebriated, loud sweet talk towards his wife.

Cloud nodded. "Good. As long as you're in safe hands, Teef." He felt that familiar heat growing in his chest, and looked back at Tifa. "...I wonder why a werewolf would set up in Nibelheim, of all places..."

Tifa bit her lip. "There's a few other villages scattered about. It's a good place to be alone, isn't it?" she said wryly.

The warrior nodded as he stood up, turning off his lamp. "You know, it's nice to have one Full Moon where there isn't a crisis or someone to rescue for once."

The woman giggled, flashing a smile as the man turned to look at her in the dark. "Some peace and quiet is welcome!" Cloud leaned over and kissed her, then walked out of the room. Tifa scooted to his side of the bed, then took her own pillow, looking it over. She heard padded footfalls and the scratch of nails, then the sound of a beast slowly settling on the floor next to her.

He looked up at her from the floor, his large head cocked. Tifa placed her pillow on the floor under his head, then rubbed the space between his ears. "Thought we could trade pillows tonight."

Cloud seemed to smile, then placed his head on her pillow, letting her scent and touch lull him to sleep.

* * *

It had been a day of traveling, Cloud having left for the docks right after an early breakfast. Cait Sith was his only companion, stowed away in a compartment on Fenrir for the time being. The warrior traveled fast as he could, reaching the designated mine before nightfall. Unlike the last time he had been out this way, he hadn't had a multitude of packages to take to one place or another before going to Rocket Town and going back home. Setting up a camp and a small fire, he stalked the woods for something to eat, using his sword to cut through underbrush as he heard the sound of a deer hiding. _'I don't always need to be on all fours to catch a meal...'_

Dragging it back to camp, he hung the beast up, discarding the guts and keeping what looked and smelled appetizing; he tentatively tasted the heart and figured it would do for his dinner, watching the forest as he ate the bloody organ. He felt somewhat ghoulish but shrugged it off; he was a werewolf now, and he liked raw meat. Cloud just hoped one of the locals didn't see him eating like this, his teeth making easy work of the stringy meat.

The warrior waited for a time, trying to sniff out the werewolf that hid in these lands. Nothing yet; Cloud sighed and decided to go to sleep after taking Cait Sith out of a compartment and asking him to watch the area as he slept. The night had gone by peacefully enough, though the cat swore he had seen movement at the edge of the forest as he flung more wood on the fire.

Waking up after dawn, he casually munched on some other part of the deer that he had taken out the other night, finding the sweetbread of a different taste and texture than the day Tifa had made some into pate. Swallowing it, he shook his head. "...I think I prefer that cooked by Tifa."

"If'n I could eat, I'd prefer any o' it cooked!" Cait Sith protested.

Cloud chuckled. "Anything happen while I was asleep?"

The robot shook his head. "Nae, thought I saw somethin' oot there but nothin' showed up."

The warrior watched the forest's edge as he finished his meal, washing it down with water from his canteen. "I'll start with the mine, and deal with...him...later." He approached the entrance, then looked back at the cat. "You comin' or staying here?"

"I think aye'll watch ye, laddy."

The two walked on, into the mythril mine. To Cloud's eye, the veins of mythril were a stark white against the deep grey of the rocks; he wandered on in search of monsters to flush out and kill. He could smell it, that heavy and dangerous scent of monsters, and it sent a thrilling chill down his spine as he reached for First Tsurugi. "This should be fun..." He said, hoping his voice would alert the monsters to his presence.

As he entered a larger cavern he saw it; a dragon and its egg clutch. The beast was stirring, and Cloud quickly and silently made his way behind the large beast with a feral grin. He hadn't killed a large beast in a long time; it was something he did on his adventures with his friends. It wouldn't be as much of a challenge as in the past, but something much more than some simple Nibel wolves or a stupid werewolf in the city.

Cloud charged in the darkness of the cavern as he took out another sword, leaping up to the beast's armored face as it whipped around to see what was causing the noise in its den. She caught his sword in her mouth, only to be slashed on the side of the head by First Tsurugi; the dragon's horn on the side of its head broke off and caused it to angrily shake and release the sword and Cloud himself into a rock wall, knocking the wind out of him.

He collapsed in a heap, groaning and catching his breath as the angry mother dragon stomped closer. She was obviously agitated by her facial wounds, and Cloud had to roll on the floor to avoid being crushed by a clawed foot. It swiped a foot towards the warrior, and at the last second he brought up First Tsurugi and impaled the foot deep. It roared and thrashed the limb about, and brought her head down quickly towards the challenger.

Cloud growled as he struggled with the beast, slicing the snout as she tried to crush him with her jaw. As the dragon recoiled, the warrior stood up again, and he focused on his sword. Cloud smashed it down and released a Blade Beam, tearing through the dragon with a great force and pushing it back. One wing was broken now, and it was panting as it stared daggers right at him. Cloud saw a flicker from her mouth, and his eyes widened.

The warrior leaped behind a pillar of stone as the mother dragon let out a belch of hot flame, incinerating anything in the way. Cloud grimaced as the heat singed the tip of his spikes while he constructed the Fusion Sword. Cait Sith was between his legs, covering his head; he had fallen off during the toss and ran behind the same pillar his friend was using now. "Cuttin' it close, laddy!"

Cloud sighed as he finished the huge sword, a sardonic smile on his lips. "No kidding."

The dragon's fiery breath stopped finally, and the warrior charged out from his hiding spot. The injured beast let out another roar, and he noticed it was favoring one side; one of the front legs was possibly broken, lacerations weeping blood. Cloud leaped again, focusing his spirit energy and releasing Braver onto her face; unlike Bahamut-SIN this dragon wasn't nearly as armored, and his sword ripped through the beast down through her neck.

Cloud landed, wiping his brow and taking a few moments to observe his surroundings in case anything decided to investigate as Cait Sith came out of hiding. He looked down at the smiling robot, giving it a nod. "Piece of cake."

The cat laughed. "Oh, you're the fish and chips, laddy, but ah wouldn't sae it wae a piece o' cake!"

The warrior snorted, giving a half smile. "Maybe not. Felt good to fight something a little challenging for once, though." He walked up to the corpse, looking it over after smashing the eggs. After deconstructing his sword he took out one of the smallest ones and took the large fangs and some of the nicer scales as souvenirs for the children; he was sure the boys would find the fangs an interesting treasure, and the scales were hard enough that he could have a bracelet or necklace made for Marlene.

He investigated the mines for several hours, looking about for any other monsters making their den in the darkness; a few stragglers were about that he cut down quickly, but nothing that compared to the mother dragon. At last he came back to the large cavern, checking one last time in case anything decided to come in, then left. Cloud welcomed the sunlight that came from overhead after his fights, and headed towards his camp.

The warrior narrowed his eyes as a scent reached his nose; the werewolf had been at his camp while he was gone! He looked about for anything missing; all he couldn't account for was a part of the deer he bagged, a leg torn off. "Stealing from an alpha is a very bad idea..." he mumbled. Still, the smell of this particular werewolf confused him. Something about it smelled almost familiar, and he didn't like it at all. Sniffing, a small profile entered his mind; older male, alone. Cloud knew as much but could confirm the gender now.

He decided to follow the scent trail into the forest, looking this way and that as he trailed; after half an hour it seemed the beast had run off, because it flew off further into the forest than he was comfortable going at the time. Sighing, he made his way back towards his camp, set on taking a nap before lunch. _'Maybe he doesn't recognize my scent...Maybe he thinks I'm still human.'_ After all, his scent was no longer wolfish.

"M'boy, is everything alright oot there?" Cait Sith greeted as his friend came back from the woods with a frustrated look on his face.

Cloud sighed. "Yeah. Think he's gone for now." He took another look around, then looked down at the cat. "I'm gonna take a small nap."

* * *

Denzel looked out the window next to his desk, tapping his pencil on the wooden surface. While he should be concentrating on his math class, he was more curious to what his guardian was up to; Cloud had promised to come home as soon as he could but never said where he was going. He was sure his hero would be alright, that he'd be home again in no time, zooming back to them on Fenrir. Still, he always hated when he was gone at length.

Before he had gone his guardians had given him a very early birthday present; returning home from school one day Cloud looked at him strangely and asked why he was going into Marlene's room. Denzel had frowned as the man took his shoulder and guided him to his new room, just like they had promised; his eyes had lit up and his smile almost reached his ears. They had painted it his favorite color, blue, and had placed all of his things within on new furniture. Tifa was sitting on his bed, smiling tiredly, and the boy had given them each the biggest hugs he could muster.

"Hey, Denzel..." Zeph nudged the boy. "time for lunch."

He glanced at the clock in the classroom, it was noon. Denzel nodded, getting up from his seat to go to the cafeteria with his packed lunch. The two were met at the door by Rosa and Vits, and in the hall by Marlene as she skipped towards them. Denzel soon felt a shoulder graze his, and he looked over to an old friend; Natsumi, the girl who always carried her deceased brother's moogle doll. A family near him had adopted her, and occasionally Marlene or Denzel would visit.

The boy blushed. "Hi, Natsumi."

She smiled as the group took a turn towards the cafeteria. "Hey, Denzel. How's your day going?"

He looked down a moment. "It's fine." Looking up, he cocked his head and smiled. "How about yours?"

"Good. Math is terrible this year, though!" She said, Denzel agreeing.

They made their way to their usual table before the large room filled up, eating and discussing their classes and gossip. Who had a crush on who, what teacher they liked the most and who they disliked the most, and rumors going out through the school.

"One of the teachers was attacked by a gang before school started, I heard." Natsumi said between bites of her sandwich.

Denzel raised his brows, remembering Cloud's words last month. "Oh yeah?"

She nodded. "Apparently a mysterious man killed them all and took him to a clinic. He never saw him again!"

The boy sipped his soda, looking away a moment. Sometimes he forgot that part of beating up bad guys meant killing them so other people aren't hurt later by them. "Is it one of our teachers?"

"Yeah, the science teacher. Mr. Gales."

Marlene tapped her cheek, thinking. "I met him the other day, when he was watching over study period. He helped me with a science essay."

"Maybe I should talk to him after class. I'm not really good at it..." Zeph said, looking down. While everyone tried their best to help him out during the summer, science had been his worst subject so far, though he excelled at reading and writing because of his mother's insistence that he become literate.

Marlene nodded. "He's patient."

After a while they went towards the school yard, ready to let off some energy that had no outlet during the morning. Marlene went off with some classmates as the older children lingered at the monkey bars, Vits and Denzel trying to play chicken on them as they hung about and playfully kicked at the other when they closed in on each other, making the girls laugh as they watched.

"Hey, you're the new orphan they let in here?" Came a sneering voice behind Zeph; the boy had gone to find a ball for the group to play with. He turned around, frowning. It was one of the older class men, perhaps a year or two older than he and it showed; the boy was taller by half a foot and was leering at the slightly tanned, freckled face of his new plaything.

Zeph sneered. "I'm no orphan. I'm adopted." he said defensively.

"Oh, wow, you got some rat-eaters to take you in!" The boy taunted; it was obvious he was trying to get into a fight.

The boy balled up his fists. He knew what "rat-eater" was slang for; former and current residents of the slums, and he just called Cloud and Tifa such a thing. "They're better than whatever trash you have for parents."

The child snorted. "Trash? My parents are in the city council. I don't even know how your family affords a school like this."

"You don't know my family, that's why."

"Hey, Zeph! You get that ball yet?" chimed Denzel's voice. He looked over at the offending bully dismissively before returning his gaze to his adoptive sibling.

The blonde haired boy nodded. "Yeah." He started to walk away, done with this new person who decided to make a fool of himself.

"Hope you enjoyed your rat meat for lunch!" The bully turned around to go to another corner of the school yard, then saw stars before blacking out; Denzel had punched him in the back of the head for those words. Zeph's mouth was agape as he watch a teacher grab the boy's hand and drag him inside the school.

"Zeph, what happened?!" Rosa charged over with Vits and Natsumi, watching as another teacher went to collect the injured student. Vits recognized him, eyes wide.

"That's Scott Aldive. His family is into Edge's politics." The boy said; he was versed in many things that matter to detectives.

Zeph kicked the ground. "He called Cloud and Tifa rat-eaters, and when Denzel heard him taunt me about rat meat for lunch, he charged him from behind..." He had a feeling Tifa was going to be upset.

Rosa bit her lip. "I guess he was a plate dweller, too."

The boy looked a little hurt. "Is that what they think of slum dwellers? Did you think it?"

The girl gave an apologetic look. "I didn't know back then...I really didn't. I know a lot better now." The slums and plate were two different worlds, and while most mingled in this post-apocalyptic renewal of civilization, a few still hung to an old classism that meant nothing unless you came from a rich family.

"I see."

Natsumi frowned. "I hope Denzel isn't in too much trouble...he needs to watch his temper."

Zeph didn't say anything, but he did wish it was he who punched out Scott instead for his transgressions against his new family.

* * *

"Mm..." Cloud stirred in his tent, woken by the buzzing of his phone; he sat up and grabbed the device to be greeted with a text message from Tifa. He sniffled and rubbed an eye before clicking to read it.

 **Denzel got into a fight today at school. I had to take him home early.**

Cloud raised a brow. "A fight...?" he mumbled to himself. **A fight? Why?**

 **He said it was because a boy was taunting Zeph.**

 **Taunting him about what?**

 **Being a slum dweller, raised by slum dwellers.**

 **Oh. Guess he shouldn't have said that, then.** He knew he'd have to talk to Denzel about fighting over words, but that savage part of him approved of the fight. Even if he remembered fighting as a child didn't really solve anything. He frowned, adding more. **I'll have a talk with Denzel when I get back. He shouldn't fight words with fists, I know.**

 **I hope so! It was the Aldive's child.**

 **Damn. What's done is done, Tifa. It's not like they own Edge or anything.**

 **It still could be a problem later...So how is your day?**

 **Fought a dragon. Still have to find that werewolf. He knows I'm here.**

 **A dragon? I guess you're fine, though. The bar is picking up, I'll talk to you later. Love you!**

 **I love you too, Teef.** He replaced his phone into his back pocket after checking the time; it was four in the afternoon, the sun angled to where it glimmered beyond the leaves to the west. Already his tent was in the shade of the tall trees, and he left to greet Cait Sith. The robot sat at the fire he helped tend, having not seen nor heard a peep from the forest as Cloud slept. The warrior nodded, then went with a small boot knife to carve out meat from his catch.

Cloud sat silently eating, watching the forest's edge as he had a habit of doing lately. Out here he almost felt like more of an animal, and he wondered if Nanaki felt similar when he traveled the wilderness; it was something to ask his friend the next time they met. Finishing the meat he rinsed it down with his water canteen, then stood up, watching quietly.

"He's a wily one, isn't he laddy?" Cait Sith chimed.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. Wonder if he knows he changed me or not."

The robot shrugged. "Could be yer scent confusin' him!"

"That might be it." He sighed, pacing. What to do? Should he wait until dusk, when the monster would probably be more active? It didn't know enough about him, giving Cloud an advantage. Did it even remember him? He didn't know. The warrior returned to his tent, bringing Cait Sith with him. "We'll wait."

And so they did in silence, Cloud sitting on his knees as the hours passed and the campfire let out, sending the camp into darkness as the sun left that side of the world. The warrior was patient, he had to be in the past and he had to be now. He simply brooded over the creature prowling about, wondering how long he had been active, how many victims he had eaten. Cloud reasoned if he had known what it was that night he wouldn't have simply batted it away from him, he would have cut him in half.

He sighed in the dark tent, trying to pull away from those negative emotions that occasionally eat at him still when he was alone. _'...I can't help what that wolf did. I can only help what I do now. I can correct it...'_ He'd fix it. Then he could go home, give Denzel a talk about when to fight and when not to, give the kids dragon parts, normal family stuff.

Another hour trudged by. Why was the scent of that werewolf so familiar? What was it? It made his skin crawl. What could it be? It frustrated him to no end that this beast had a scent he couldn't quite put his finger on, one he felt he should know. Cloud occasionally sniffed the slowly cooling air for any possible hint of his prey, but it was for nothing still.

He was about to give up and start eating a late dinner when he heard a rustling coming closer, towards his deer. The scent started to coming in with the occasional breeze; the werewolf wouldn't know he was there. Counting mentally in his head from three to one he charged out of the tent, and faced a grizzled, familiar looking beast he hadn't seen since that fateful night in March. The area was cloaked in darkness; the moon was still shrouded in the trees.

The werewolf was obviously sniffing the challenger's scent, a frown on his face. He snorted, then positioned itself to pounce; Cloud took out First Tsurugi, the beast obviously remembering the blade. It paused the paced slowly in a circle around the spiky haired man, head cocked. The warrior kept his eyes on the werewolf, narrowing them as the monster reared up and roared. "You don't know what I am, do you?" Cloud replied, deadly calm.

The monster grimaced, looking the warrior up and down; it was obviously confused.

"You know you got me that night." His glowing blue eyes stared into his opponent's eyes, oblivious to the color in monochrome. "You remember me for some reason. I want answers from you. Try and flee, I'll kill you...slowly."

A deep, ominous chuckle emanated from the beast, the creature shaking its head. It sat by the extinguished campfire and motioned towards it with a flick of his claw; Cloud complied and used his fire materia after tossing some branches into the circle while eyeing the monster.

"Talk." The warrior kept a ready stance, his sword still in his hand.

 _ **"You want answers...**_ I want answers, too." The werewolf replied as it flowed back into a naked, human form that sat upon the ground. Cloud's brow knitted together, the smell of this man and his appearance jarring. Middle aged and so very familiar...He'd seen him before, a long time ago. Before Nibelheim burned, somewhere there. His eyes went wide, his mind screaming. He both knew and did not know him, and the reaction was making the naked man smirk.

"...Who are you?" Cloud demanded.

A chuckle came from the naked man. "Can't you smell it?"

The warrior sniffed for several moments, then slowly lifted his own arm to his nose. He stared at the man, slowly shaking his head. "There's no way...you died!"

"In a way, I suppose, but here I am. You should be nicer to your father, son."


	41. Truths From The Past

I hope I did this a proper justice. Sometimes I was just tugging at my hair, thinking what to write.

* * *

Cloud stared, still in disbelief. The hair in the light of the fire was slightly spiked, and a dirtier blonde than his mother. The warrior's features had always taken after his mother's, having her eye shape, her hair color and jawline. He was shorter than normal, but chalked it up to four years in a mako vat stunting him an inch or three.

This man had lighter blue eyes, dirty blonde, spiky hair, and seemed slightly taller than his son; Cloud obviously took after his body's physique. His face had a few similarities such as the cheekbones and nose, but the skin wasn't as pale. He had a feral glare despite the amused grin glinting on his face, his son confused and upset. He raised a brow, snorting. "Not happy to see your pops?"

Cloud glowered at him. "Mom said you died." He remembered where he had seen him now; there had been a picture of the three on his mother's nightstand. His eyes were so much kinder, he remembered.

The older man shrugged. "Guess she lied about that to protect you." He looked his son up and down. "I thought you were dead for a while, too."

"...You were at the Nibelheim incident."

He chuckled and shook his head. "No. At the aftermath." The man sighed, obviously thinking back. "I smelled smoke and burning flesh. I smelled you, too. After such a long time...the reactor stunk of blood. Your blood, that little girl's blood, Tifa. I figured you both perished."

Cloud looked away, saying nothing. His jaw was tense.

"She's still alive, I take it. I smell her on you." The man paused a moment. "I didn't return for years. Even after those Shinra fellows rebuilt the town, I didn't show up until after Meteorfall."

"...So you keep up with the times."

Cloud's father chuckled. "Yeah. Anyway, I started to see you in the area. Couldn't believe it at first, but there was that smell. At first diseased, then clean after a time. I take it you had that Geostigma disease that afflicted the people around here."

"Why did you change me?" Cloud demanded, changing the subject.

The older man shrugged. "Always wanted to, I suppose. Was going to get you earlier, before you left the village." He looked his son in the eyes. "Town never treated you right, and maybe it was because of me. Thought maybe you were in the same solitary rut you had been your whole life."

"You almost ruined my life!" the warrior said angrily. "I have kids, I have Tifa! I could have..."

The man shrugged. "Didn't know when I did it, you're fast on that little bike of yours...Could only really catch your scent. You're close enough now that I can smell them." He sniffed, a brow raised. "Those kids aren't yours."

"They're _mine._ I don't care if we're blood related." Cloud growled.

The werewolf nodded, understanding he had some bond with them. "You didn't eat another person yet?"

"No!"

His father nodded again. "I tried that, too. I thought if I left the village I could avoid murdering others. I didn't want to kill either of you, especially. The thoughts made my skin crawl at the time...and I think, perhaps it still does." He took a heavy breath, Cloud noticing some humanity returning to the man's eyes. "I went as far as I could into the forests, your mother knew. The village suspected. I thought I could handle it. But when it happened, I prowled towards a village that was near me. That night I gorged on humans and woke up...different." He said lowly, almost with a tinge of regret. "I came home after a while to say goodbye, in the night."

Cloud bit his lip. "...I hid myself away, too. I came to right before I escaped the room I barricaded myself in." He realized that could have easily been him, repeating history.

"What brought you out of it?"

He looked down with a faint smile on his face. "Their scent."

The man nodded. "I guess I caused you plenty of grief in your life, then. I...even though I banished myself from the village, I would watch from time to time. See how you and your mother were holding up. During the really harsh winters, I'd drag a deer kill to the house in the dead of night."

Cloud's brows knitted together. "That was from you...?" Occasionally in the deep winters of Nibelheim, he'd wake up to his mother dressing a fresh deer carcass. When he became old enough, he would help preserve the meat. He would eat so much jerky that he grew sick of it, and not until recently had he begun to desire it again. "Mom used to have the saddest look on her face..."

"Yeah. It hurt. But I had to stay a way as much as I could, the village people already looked down on you both. I couldn't let you starve, though. But being near the village was dangerous..." He looked into his son's curious eyes. "One time I caught sight of a woman and her daughter in the woods nearby..."

Cloud's breath lodged in his throat, his eyes wide. "You..."

"Yeah. Tifa's mother. Scratched her legs as she tried escaping me with Tifa in tow, only thing that kept me from eating her was the silver bracelet that she flung into my face." He snorted, as if he should have known the woman would have done that.

"So she wasn't really ill..."

"No. She died because of a folk cure involving wolfsbane flowers. Killed her after a few days." He shook his head. "Stupid idea..."

Cloud tightened his fist, the leather of his glove squeaking. "My life as a kid became a living hell, all because you wanted to eat Tifa and her mother. I was blamed for her fall on Mount Nibel when she searched for her mother..." He looked down, angrily shaking his head. "You're the reason she's terrified of werewolves..." Did Tifa just block it out? She wouldn't have known who it was, only what it was.

"I'm also why you two were found before monsters ate you. I had to find your mother, so she could guide that girl's father to where you two fell." He scratched the back of his neck. "You seemed to have turned out alright, at least." The man looked Cloud up and down, nodding. "Even made it into SOLDIER." He knew what glowing eyes meant.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "I never was in SOLDIER. This is from after the Nibelheim incident."

"...Care to elaborate?"

The warrior sighed warily and nodded. May as well tell his father everything. He sat down by the fire, telling the long story of what happened after Nibelheim was burnt to the ground. In the end, even the savage werewolf was stunned by everything his son had went through.

"No wonder you ended up like this, instead of like me."

Cloud snorted. "As if you don't have a choice...There's always a choice! I still have instincts but you don't see me tearing children to shreds because of it."

The man shook his head. "You don't understand what that first night can do to you up here." He tapped his head. "I'm fortunate enough that I kept something in me that kept myself from devouring you and your mother."

"Do you regret what you've done, at all?" Cloud was looking at his blade, the sword standing straight in the dirt.

His father shrugged. "Sometimes. Most days I just don't care. Humans are animals the same as you or I."

The warrior looked up angrily. "No. They're different, and so are we. I don't know why that first night made you into this, but you have a choice now. You had a choice to turn me. You had a choice to eat a deer instead of a human. Maybe in the beginning it was hard, I can understand that...but now? You're just being a monster for the sake of it."

"What can I say? Human tastes better, anyway." That humanity Cloud had noticed in his eyes seemed to be fading away.

Cloud scoffed. "So what? If you had a damn care in the world about me you wouldn't have tried snacking on Tifa or her mother."

The man sighed. "They were just out there, alone. Helpless prey. It just kicked in..." He held a sour expression.

"...I had a toddler in a room with me, alone, and I hadn't eaten since breakfast that night. It's really not that hard when you get the hang of it." Cloud shook his head as he chastised his father.

His father snorted. "Say that after being alone in the woods for several years."

"Mom would have helped you...I would have helped you." The warrior whispered. He was just a kid then but he was pretty sure even then he'd still want his father in his life and not just a shadow.

The older man nodded. "I didn't wanna hurt her more than I already did...When I came home that morning with that injury, when I told her...she said the same thing you just did. But when it finally happened, I couldn't just go back like nothing happened." He looked away. "The village would've chased us out, anyway. Then what?"

Cloud stood up and began pacing, deep in thought. What to do? This man changed his entire life several times. _'What do I do? Do I kill him? I just don't know. What would Tifa want me to do?"_ He sighed, and glanced at his father, the man judging his son's actions quietly.

"So you're with Tifa?"

Cloud nodded.

"Do your friends know, do the children?"

The warrior nodded again. "It wasn't without hiccups, but they trust me. I trust them, too."

The older werewolf nodded. "...I'm glad."

"...I think...I think what keeps me grounded, it's all the people around me. There's another werewolf, Penny, she's like me. She lives with her human mate out in the woods, away from other people, but her mate's there." Cloud stopped his pacing and looked at the camp fire. "I think...you went somewhere in between. You could have easily killed me and Mom, but you didn't."

"I didn't want to."

Cloud nodded. "I really don't know what to do, right now. I came here to kill you, but now, I'm not really sure." He looked towards his bike. "I'll be back. When I get back, you better not have eaten anyone else."

"Where are you going?"

The warrior sighed as he started to put away his campsite, Cait Sith popping out of the tent to look at both werewolves curiously. "I'm going home and thinking this over for a few days. I can't make a choice right now."

His father snorted. "My life hinges on my son's whims in a matter of days, how quaint."

Cloud glared at him as he finished dismantling his tent. "Yeah, it does. I'll meet you in Nibelheim later in the week, and if you're not there, I'll hunt you down."

The old werewolf grunted. "How will you have known if I'd eaten anyone between now and then?"

"You're being watched. I came here to clean out the mines on the request of those watching you...and other werewolves." Cloud put his tent in a compartment on Fenrir's side, then looked back. "The world knows we exist now."

The man sighed tiredly. "Wonderful. I'm guessing you had something to do with that?"

The warrior smirked. "It hasn't been easy in the city, but I make do."

"Cloud, are you sure about this?" Cait Sith said.

Cloud's father pointed at the robot. "Who is that?" He had noticed him earlier, but couldn't make heads or tails of him.

"Cait Sith..." He looked down at the robot, then at his father. "Hm. Reeve...Would you mind baby-sitting him while I'm gone?"

The robot cocked his head, the handler obviously thinking. "You want me to follow him around?"

"I don't need a companion." The older man retorted.

Cloud snorted. "I think you do. He's a robot, so it's not like you need to feed him or anything. Destroy him and the handler will find out, and so will I." The warrior turned back to his bike, situating everything. "I'm not giving you any outs."

His father smoldered by the waning fire, looking them both over. "What choice do I have..." he grumbled.

"You brought this on yourself, you know." Cloud sat upon Fenrir, and put the keys into the ignition. He looked at his father, as if unsure he should say something. "I...I thought you should know something else."

The older man glared back. "What?"

"...Tifa's pregnant."

The old werewolf raised his brows in surprise, overriding his negative mood. "That's possible?"

Cloud turned the key, Fenrir coming to life. "Seems that way. Keep it in mind while you're out here..." He took one last look at the two, Cait Sith walking towards his father. "The deer's all yours. See you soon."

* * *

"Man, Denzel. I don't think I'd ever seen Tifa so upset before." Zeph said as they sat at the dinner table, the woman busy talking with Barret at the galley before they would sit with the children to eat.

Denzel shrugged. "He shouldn't have said that."

Zeph raised a brow. "Why, were you called a rat-eater a lot when you were younger?"

The other boy looked away, guilt all over his face.

Tifa came over a few moments later with their dinner, her face more relaxed than it had been earlier in the day. Barret followed her in with the other plates, giving one to Marlene and sitting down next to her. Tifa looked toward's Cloud's empty seat in front of her, hoping he was alright; her emotions still went continuously through a roller coaster, the pills only ever keeping her physical ailments at bay.

They sat in silence as they ate for a time before Tifa spoke up. "Denzel, it's taken care of. You still need to do an in school suspension, though."

They had been worried about a possible backlash from Scott's parents, but it was after a talk with them the woman had found them more temperate than their son; whether it was because they somehow knew who she was or if they truly were like that, she did not know. What mattered to her was that there were no grudges, and Denzel would face school punishment no different than the other students.

The boy swallowed his forkful of noodles. "I don't care."

Barret shook his head. "Denzel, you shouldn't be attackin' other kids over words like that!"

Denzel narrowed his eyes. "You aren't my dad."

Tifa sighed heavily, looking at the boy. "Denzel, go to your room." She wouldn't have the argument escalate any more than it had, her agitation almost boiling over.

He did as she asked, angrily stomping up the stairs and slamming the door to his room. Zeph looked down at his pasta, swirling it slowly on the dish. He still didn't understand why Denzel was so upset over the remark. _'I'd been called a rat-eater plenty of times when I was younger.'_

"Will Cloud be back soon, Tifa?" Marlene asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Tifa nodded. "He finished what he was supposed to do this afternoon, sweetie. Cloud will probably make his way back tomorrow morning."

"Where did he go?" Zeph asked. They were never told where he was going, but it must have been far away.

The woman looked away. "Well, he was asked to clean out a mine on the Western Continent..."

Marlene instinctively knew where. "He's gonna get that werewolf, isn't he?"

Tifa slowly nodded. "Yeah."

They finished their meal quietly, then went upstairs to their rooms; Barret slept on Denzel's former bed, Marlene delighting in her surrogate father's presence as they talked until he tucked her in for the night. Tifa went in to check on Denzel, the boy still stewing from earlier and not wanting to speak. Afterwards she checked on Zeph, the boy staring at the ceiling as he twiddled his thumbs, obviously lost in thought. He looked over at Tifa, the woman walking towards his bed.

"It wasn't that big of a deal."

Tifa cocked her head. "What wasn't?"

"Being called a rat-eater. I wasn't happy you and Cloud were called that, but it's not like that idiot knows you guys." Zeph said.

"Hm. Well, Denzel's always had a slight temper when it comes to anyone insulting or hurting us." she said with a wry smile.

The boy frowned. "Who could hurt you guys? Or, I mean from before Cloud..."

Tifa chuckled. "Do you remember when that dragon attacked the city?"

"Yeah. Fiore and I hid from it after we went searching for a missing friend." Zeph remembered holding his sister tight as the dragon blasted the monument to smithereens, then tried to escape shadow creepers as they meandered through tight alleys.

She nodded. "We were there, too. I was trying to protect Denzel. We were both knocked out, but he woke up first. The first thing he did was charge the dragon!"

The boy gawked. "It woulda killed him!"

She nodded. "Barret stopped him and sent him back to me. Denzel's protective...I just hope we can give it a good outlet." The woman said.

The boy thought a moment, then looked back into Tifa's red eyes. "Were you fighting the dragon, too?"

"I helped Cloud a little bit. All of our friends came to fight it and save the city." She shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

Zeph shook his head. "I heard some stories from Denzel and Marlene, but I didn't actually think you guys were heroes." The stories they had told them were more down to earth, like the couple assisting during Edge's construction or how Cloud had found Denzel near the church in Sector Five; he really wasn't one to pry too deeply.

Tifa blushed. "I wouldn't call myself that. Anyway, have a good night, sweetie." she hugged him and gave him a kiss on the forehead, then left the room.

She wandered to her bedroom, tired from her early pregnancy. In a couple of weeks she would see the baby for the first time; Tifa wasn't as worried as before, a Full Moon already passed and nothing strange occurring inside her. None of the strange heat Cloud described to her, nothing moving about. It was still somewhat too early to tell, she told herself, but she would take it one month at a time.

Tifa laid on Cloud's side of the bed, feeling less alone with his scent in her nose. It was amusing to her how humans can pick up what a person smells like, even if it isn't as good as an animal or a werewolf. She rubbed her belly, drifting to sleep as she wondered to herself if Cloud had finally confronted the werewolf that changed their lives.

* * *

"You worried about Denzel?" Barret mused to his close friend.

Tifa looked up at him and blinked. "Hm? No. Well, maybe if he keeps this up. I guess he might be reaching that time in his life..." The two were walking towards the bar from the school after dropping the children off; Denzel was still in a somewhat sour mood because of his suspension inside the school, but Zeph promised to keep him up to date with classes.

The large gunman chuckled. "Yeah, what man hasn't been there before. You gonna have a hell'uva time with two rowdy teenage boys next year!"

Tifa groaned. "Just let me enjoy what little time I have left before they become rebellious monsters!"

Her words elicited a hardy laugh from Barret as they continued on. "Wonder when Spiky's gonna get his ass back here. Shoulda tracked that mutt down and finished it off..."

She nodded, kicking a pebble on the sidewalk. "He might be on his way back right now, so he'll probably be home by dinnertime." The woman frowned, looking at her phone. "He hasn't called or texted me since yesterday afternoon, though...I hope he's alright."

"He brought Cait Sith with him, right? Anything happens Reeve'll give us a call."

They continued towards the bar, Barret parting to purchase a hose for his vehicle, the truck having caused him trouble yesterday. Finally entering Tifa let out a tired sigh, deciding to tidy up the master bedroom and Cloud's office before she opened up for the day. She quietly made her way up the stairs, thinking over what foodstuffs she might have to buy for dinner tonight; perhaps, she thought to herself, she would focus on the bedroom and do some grocery shopping instead.

A noise reached her ears as she moved through the hallway and she snapped her head up. There was a black mass on their bed. Tifa came nearer, confirming it was Cloud, the man fully dressed and snoring softly on the bed. Flabbergasted, she guessed he had driven the entire night to get home. Did he want to get home that quickly? She shook her head and started pulling his boots off of his feet and then worked on his pauldron; he was so tired that he didn't stir. Tifa placed the items on the floor next to the wall, then left to decide what to fill her time with before the bar opened.

* * *

"...Cloud?" Tifa's voice was muffled behind the bathroom door. He had gotten up sometime after sunset, and quietly prepared himself for a shower. He hadn't meant to fall asleep for so long, just to rest his eyes for a time before cleaning himself up, but as soon as his head touched the pillow he was gone.

He peeked through the opening in the door, his blue eye meeting Tifa's red ones. "Sorry. I'll get some clean bedding after I'm done in here." He rubbed his head with a towel as Tifa poked her head through into the steaming room.

"Oh...It's okay. I was just wondering how everything went...I didn't see Cait Sith anywhere. Did something happen to him?" Tifa inquired. The look he gave her stabbed her heart with concern before he turned away.

"...I left Cait Sith with the werewolf for the time being. I haven't decided what to do with him yet." He turned around, putting on his pajama bottoms.

She frowned. "You didn't kill him?" Her voice was incredulous.

"Not yet. Didn't feel right without your input." He moved to open the door, Tifa backing away to let him out; he smelled her cooking from downstairs, but his hunger was dampened by his mood.

"You need my input...? Why?"

Cloud bit his lip. "I'll tell you later." He looked towards Denzel's room, then at Tifa. "...I better have that talk with Denzel."

She shook her head. "Cloud..."

He walked by quietly, entering Denzel's room and shutting the door. The look on the boy's face was dark, Cloud forgetting to knock as he tried to avoid Tifa's prodding, but quickly lightened when he saw it was his other guardian that came to speak with him.

The warrior came to sit on the side of the boy's bed, giving him a bashful look. "Sorry. Forgot to knock."

Denzel came to sit next to Cloud, and looked up at him. "It's okay...I guess you're here to lecture me or something."

Cloud snorted, and placed his hand on the child's shoulder. "Something like that." He sighed, thinking back. "When I was younger, I used to get into fights all the time. Someone would say something to me, and on the drop of a gil I'd fight them over it. Eventually, I'd just get into fights for the hell of it."

"How come?"

The man glanced down at the boy. "I was blamed for something I didn't do, and...I was kinda lonely. The fights didn't make me feel any better." He paused a moment before continuing. "I know I fight a lot, and I'm teaching you to fight, too. But part of fighting is knowing when to act. Calling us rat-eaters, that's not worth a fight."

Denzel shook his head. "That kinda talk cost me a friendship."

"Oh? What happened?"

The boy told Cloud of his friend Rick, the last of the Sector Seven Scavengers, and how the day he collapsed by Fenrir was the same day he insulted his only friend at the time with talk of eating rats. "He left me in the ruins after that. Then, you found me."

Cloud nodded. "Is that why you found it so insulting?"

"Probably."

The warrior chuckled. "Don't worry about what some rich kid says about us. It's beneath us, beneath you."

Denzel shrugged. "I guess so."

"...Just promise me you won't go fighting over words again. If they try and hit you first though, defend yourself."

"Okay, Cloud." the boy said with a faint smile.

Dinner was punctuated with the children asking Cloud about his adventure, Barret pressing on the matter of the werewolf. The warrior sidestepped the subject, occasionally giving pleading eyes to Tifa to change what they were talking about. Talk of the dragon found in the mine, and Cloud remembering that he had brought some bits from the kill. He exused himself and went to Fenrir to fish them out, the children's eyes going wide at the sight of the fangs and shimmering scales.

* * *

"So, Cloud..." Tifa started as she laid on the bed, fresh sheets having replaced the ones Cloud had sullied earlier in the day. Cloud himself was pacing in front of the bed, not looking Tifa in the eye. "...why didn't you kill him?"

"Tifa, I..." He looked towards her, his face despondent. "It's because he's..." The warrior couldn't get the words out, as if part of him denied it still. But his nose didn't lie; it was half his scent. He sighed, pushing a hand through his spiky hair. "...he's my father, that's why."

Her eyes went wide as she gasped. "Are you sure...?"

He nodded. "He matches up with my scent."

Tifa sat up in bed, looking at the quilt covering her feet. "It was him, wasn't it...he was the wolf that killed my mom...they told me it was a Nibel wolf that infected her with an illness...but those front claws..."

Cloud sighed. "He scratched her, but that didn't kill your mom, he said."

She looked up, her eyes dark. "What, then?"

"He said they tried using a wolfsbane remedy to cure her. Ended up killing her instead." He sat at the edge of the bed, his voice quiet. Cloud turned to look at her, the woman searching the covers again. He placed a hand over one of hers, causing her to look at him again; the warrior searched her eyes but only found some melancholy glaze.

Cloud told her everything his father said, the warrior finishing and looking at the floorboards between his feet after almost half an hour. "That's why I couldn't kill him. Not then and there. I...wanted to hear what you thought."

She nodded, breathing a heavy sigh. "This is so much to take in. Do you really think he can change?"

"I don't know. I'd like if he could, though. Maybe I'm being foolish." He looked back at her, a frown on his face.

"You're going back in a few days?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Cait Sith is with him to keep watch over what he does. If he kills another human I'll end him then and there, but if not...I'll leave it up to you, Tifa." He turned away. "That was your mother. If he'd just kept himself in check, they never would have tried to cure her with that..."

She rubbed her belly. "I'm going with you."

Cloud snapped his head back towards her. "You're pregnant, Teef!"

Tifa crossed her arms over her chest. "So what? You don't think you can protect me from an old wolf?"

"I'm not worried about that..." He knew he could protect her from anything out there. If he spilled or some act of God occurred, however, it might risk the baby.

"Cloud. I want to see him for myself. I'll make a decision then, okay?" She gently held onto his arm as she looked into his haunting blue eyes. Slowly, he nodded, knowing how stubborn the woman can be. Tifa gave him a tired smile, then leaned in and kissed his lips. "I have you. I'll be safe."

He gave a small smile back. Tifa would be with him, and he'd keep his mate safe, he promised himself that. "Thanks, Teef." Cloud stood up, then began to get dressed, the woman raising a brow.

"Cloud, where are you going?"

He looked back at her as he changed into his black pants. "I'm gonna patrol. I slept all day, so I'm going to hit the streets. I'll be back in a few hours." 

* * *

The streets were quiet so far, Cloud prowling the plaza for any interlopers on his territory, a single sword on his back. His mind was still going a million miles a second, over his father and Tifa and if he made the right decisions, or possibly ended up losing more lives because of it. Did it matter at this point? He knew he was responsible, directly or indirectly, for many more deaths in a short amount of time. It would just be another thing to shoulder, he figured.

He sighed, slipping into an alleyway. The warrior silently sniffed about, looking for his prey, a monster to take a few frustrations out on. Cloud meandered on, not treading too far from the bar; he wanted the area around his home to be safest the most. The nearly full, waning moon was occasionally shining light upon him and gifting his already pale skin a ghostly pallor. He looked down at his arm, wondering if any pedestrian would think him a ghost wandering the city if they saw him.

The night was still relatively young, not quite passed midnight. Here and there he would hear or smell young adults and older teens though they stayed unseen, perhaps making a shortcut to a bar or a club. _'Easy prey...'_ Cloud followed a trail of humans like it was a game trail in the forest, deciding his chances of some action were higher if there were people about. The thump of music hit his ears soon after, and he looked behind him; he still wasn't too far from home.

Cloud smelled the scent of that accursed spray nearby, and he assumed whatever establishment he was nearing utilized it to keep patrons safe from creatures like him. As he approached he leaned against the wall of a building, watching the entrance of the brightly lit club that was full of neon colored lights of red, blue and green. The warrior wondered if more establishments would use this entrance exam, or just ones where it would be easy to abduct victims in a noisy, hazy chaos.

He felt someone slam into his shoulder and sword hilt, and instinctively held his arm out as he looked over. It was some obnoxious looking teen, causing the werewolf to frown. _'...There's no way Zeph and Denzel are coming anywhere near this place when they're older.'_

"Oh, hey, like...sorry, man."

Cloud released him, relaxing. "No problem."

The teen looked over the warrior, his eyes wide under his long, messy brown hair. "Whoa...you're like, some kinda killer or somethin'?"

He snorted in response. "I'm just watching the area for trouble." He frowned harder. _'Is he on drugs or something?'_

"Oh. Well, like good luck with that, man." The teen gave a thumbs up and began to walk towards the club, but looked back at Cloud. "Um, maybe you should check the way I came from, man. Sometimes bad stuff goes down there."

Cloud nodded approvingly. "Thanks." He turned to leave the way the teen had gone; finding something was better than nothing. Just something, anything to do to help clear his mind some more, keep him from brooding. The warrior tentatively sniffed as he went down the dark alley, passing travelers here and there that would glance at him as they passed. He turned down a small side alley, less traveled but still used; he could smell fresh scents.

A dragging sound reached his ears and he quickened his pace. Cloud wondered where the sound was coming from and his nose picked up familiar scents that reminded him of the Honey Bee Inn at Wall Market. Perfume and hormones and dirt and trash. _'Should I even be here?'_ He blushed, but decided to push on quietly.

He turned another corner and faced a dark dead end, with two people residing there. Cloud could see them clearly but he doubted the male even noticed him; he smelled like the club and cologne and that damnable spray. He was dragging the half-awake woman towards the hidden side of a dumpster. The warrior narrowed his eyes and stalked his oblivious prey silently, crouching down towards the ground. He sneaked towards the near side of the dumpster as the man unceremoniously dumped his burden on the ground, the sound of cardboard and concrete being hit by a mass reaching his ears.

Cloud creeped behind the man as he undid his belt. What to do? Kill him? Maybe he'd intimidate him, should be easier than some of the stubborn thugs. He looked and smelled younger than Yuffie even, how did he even do this? Maybe his father was right, humans are just animals...

"You should have gotten a room, kid."

The young man jumped and quickly looked back into the gloom, staring into two very judgemental, glowing blue orbs. "Uh..."

Cloud studied the man, then the woman. She looked about as young as her assailant, barely conscious, softly moaning, her face almost familiar.. Then he turned his eyes back to the male. "...I thought only werewolves snacked on young women. You aren't a werewolf, are you?"

The male shook his head at the accusation. "N-no, sir, I'm not."

"I dunno. I think you were trying to eat her, weren't you?" Cloud said lowly, his eyes narrowing. "Why _else_ would you drag her here?"

The man said nothing but looked back at the woman Cloud really didn't know why this person was so desperate to get laid that he would go so far as rape, but it reminded him of what those thugs said before he slaughtered them; this girl was someone's Yuffie, and the thought dredged up some primal anger in the spiky haired man

The warrior noticed the tension in the strange male's body and reacted just in time; he had a canister of that spray, and it would have temporarily blinded anyone at that close a range with onion sting. Cloud slapped it away with an inhuman growl, causing the man to cry out as he was torn off the ground and thrown into a trashcan by the corner of the dead end. Cloud glowered as he bent down to look over the male.

"You made a big mistake tonight..." Cloud smashed his fist into the man's face, getting some sort of sick pleasure from his whimpers. He grabbed the male's shirt collar. "...don't be a coward." The young man tried to strike back, and was met with stars as a fist connected with his face again. Once more the male tried to either break loose or find something on the ground to fight with as he was savaged by a werewolf's fists.

He found some shard of metal near his hand and swiftly brought it up and into the exposed shoulder of his attacker's silhouette; it merely brought about another growl and a harder blow to his already injured face. "That doesn't work very well against wolves..." Cloud sneered. Finally done dishing out his punishment, he looked over the beaten and barely conscious male. He was nothing but an omega, a foreigner in his territory, and his scent confirmed it. "I have your scent now. I'll be watching you...If I catch you doing anything like this again...I'll eat you while you're still alive." He wouldn't, but the young man didn't know that.

Cloud picked himself up and gave a final, hard kick to his victim's side and then walked towards the young woman, scooping her up. The young male struggled in the heap he laid upon, arm stretched and eyes swelling. "...What...where are you..."

The warrior looked back at the attempted rapist with a glare. "What does it matter to you? She was just a piece of meat to you earlier, I don't think that's changed, has it?" he looked away and quietly left the alleyway, a severely beaten and bleeding fool its final denizen.

Cloud walked off, away from the busy alley he had come from and meandered through quieter alleys, the moon peeking into some of them when the buildings didn't block the gibbous orb. He looked up at it from time to time, the silvery light soothing after beating an imbecile into a pulp. The warrior sighed, trying to remember which way the hospital was, or maybe a WRO peacekeeper post. There should be one nearby, right?

The girl groaned, bringing a hand to her head, Cloud looking down at her as he continued to walk and periodically looked up to see which way he was going. "I'm not at the club..." She rubbed her eyes with her hand and sniffled, obviously coming to from whatever she was given to make her incoherent.

"It's okay. I'm trying to find a safe place for you."

The young woman looked up at the man carrying her, frowning. "...I've seen you somewhere before, I think."

Cloud shrugged. "I get around." He looked about, taking a darker alley that seemed to lead to a road. Maybe this way...

"Wait, what happened? Where's my date?" She was starting to struggle slightly, obviously becoming paranoid as she became more lucid. "Where's my..."

"Your spray? Your "date" tried to hit me in the face with it, so it's probably with him still. Sorry." Cloud said curtly.

"Why did he try and hit you...?"

The warrior said nothing, his eyes smoldering. He wondered if he should have beaten some more sense into the young man before threatening him.

She looked up again, Cloud's eyes softly glowing again as he entered the darkness of the alley. The woman remembered those eyes. "Y-you're that werewolf that was stalking me in the alley a couple of days ago!"

The warrior looked down and frowned. "I wasn't stalking _you_. I was hunting a werewolf down. You kinda ruined my chances of catching him that day." He stopped, letting the struggling young woman down. He wasn't going to deny the werewolf charge; it's not like she could do anything about it.

"Y-yeah right, you're hunting other werewolves, that's why you got so close to me..." She backed away a few paces.

Cloud snorted, crossing his arms. "I'm the Edge hunter, that's why." He shook his head. "If you're gonna be this ungrateful, you can go find your own way home. I'm outta here." He turned around, shaking his head.

"Ungrateful for what? Where's my date, why did you have me?"

He turned around and looked her in the eye, his silhouette somewhat menacing. "Your date's in an alley. He drugged you, I beat him up and took you away." He turned back. "You can go search for him if he'd make you feel safer." Cloud began walking away, frustrated with the woman he was trying to help. _'Animals...No, we have to be better than that. Even if some act like stupid animals. I've seen chocobos with better reasoning skills...'_

Cloud didn't hear her move as he disappeared into another alley, finished with the night and handling some other mental frustration in his head that dealt less with his father and more with how primal humans can be.


	42. Hopeful Decisions

Not sure if I like how this one turned out. I do like putting some action from Cloud's job in at the end, though.

* * *

The next several days were characterized by Cloud's brooding and Tifa's anxiety, the children worried about their guardians and their quiet, distracted demeanor. The morning after Cloud revealed who the werewolf was they discussed it with Barret, the man surprisingly understanding at how distraught his friends were; when mentioned he shrugged and reminded them about Dyne. Despite what he may have done, he wanted to save his best friend.

He agreed to stay as they made the trek to Nibelheim, ignorant still of Tifa's pregnancy. She felt it fortunate, considering she already had one man asking if she had second thoughts about going, and if Barret knew she was sure both he and Cloud would scheme to keep her home despite a desire for her judgement. For her safety, of course. Sometimes Tifa wondered if they saw her as weak because of her near daily tending of the bar, but she hadn't faded, not in her opinion; she was the one teaching Marlene martial arts after all.

The night before they left the children were terribly curious about Cloud and Tifa's trip alone, the two finally caving in; they were going to Nibelheim and deciding together the werewolf's fate. The answer confused them, shouldn't it be killed, done and over with?

"What's so special about this werewolf?" Zeph asked. He was only answered with a forlorn look by Cloud.

Tifa sighed. "He's from our hometown, Zeph."

"So? If he's the one that changed you, don't you want revenge?"

Cloud looked away. "Part of me does, part of me doesn't." he said quietly. "It's complicated."

The boy didn't really understand why they were so hesitant when he'd killed the monsters for less. He remembered his talk with Cloud and how his misfortune had essentially saved his life, but Cloud was one werewolf, and this was quite the other.

Marlene swayed her head, thinking. "He must be important to you if you're not gonna kill him right away."

"Is it someone you knew?" Denzel asked.

The couple waved their hands, dismissing the queries. They would discuss it later with them.

* * *

"Tifa. Do you need me to slow down?" Cloud called to the woman tightly holding onto him as they passed the arid valleys of the Cosmo Canyon area. He felt her shake her head, and he nodded to himself. When he took deliveries he never really pushed Fenrir all that hard most of the time to enjoy the scenery, and it lead to longer deliveries. Today, just like earlier in the week, he pushed the bike hard in an attempt to reach their destination as quickly as possible so long as the roads were amiable.

Reeve had contacted them the day before, keeping them up to date with Cloud's father's actions and whereabouts. They told him they were coming to Nibelheim and when to possibly expect them, the WRO leader surprised at Tifa's desire to face the man herself; he was the only other person that even suspected her pregnancy, and said as much over the phone. She had confirmed, and he agreed to keep quiet for the time being.

Twilight began to set in slowly as they traveled through the plains past the Nibel river, Tifa wearing a sweater to keep the late September chill off of her body. Cloud brought one just in case, but found himself either too busy with the road or with his thoughts to care about the tingling numbness of his upper layers of skin. The village was nearing, and he began to slow down as they made their final approach. Cloud glanced back at Tifa, wondering if she was as nervous as he was; he still wasn't sure at all what would happen, and he had to protect her as well.

The sun had disappeared over the western mountaintops by the time they had rolled up to the distant village, still recovering from Deepground's occupation; it was no longer filled with actors, but sincere pilgrims looking for a new life. The inn was still usable, and occupied houses had windows glowing with candle light, and the roundabout, dirt road had very few pedestrians out despite the early hour. It was a familiar, yet hollow place to the two. They hoped they would be able to sleep without nightmares tonight.

The warrior felt eyes on him, the village not one to get visitors during the day very often let alone the evening. Cloud parked in front of the inn and paid for a room with Tifa, then walked off and away from the village. He held Tifa closely to him in an effort to comfort her and himself; they both disliked coming here, and with very good reason. She looked up at him in the starlit darkness and smiled at him, as if to say she was okay. Whether she was or not, he wasn't really sure, but he appreciated the gesture.

They walked off towards the agreed meeting area, off the road and into the forest. Tifa trusted Cloud could find the trail easily enough, but she looked about in mild paranoia, the feeling growing within her chest as they came closer; she would finally confront the beast that lead to her mother's death. It was something that facilitated her primal fear of werewolves as a child, being told by the other children that that was what it was, while the adults said it was merely a mutated Nibel wolf. It was sick, and that's why her mother became ill, too. In the end, the adults of the village were just as much at fault for her death.

The night she saw Cloud under the cover of darkness had dredged up the memories over the months. A flicker of recognition as she noticed the bare skin of the face and terrifying claws and teeth slowly clicked in her head, but she was uncertain how this werewolf had killed her mother; the wounds weren't serious. Wolfsbane flowers? No wonder her father was so bitter, and he knew it was Cloud's father, too! _'This whole thing is tragic.'_

"Tifa?" Cloud was whispering her name, pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked up towards his glowing cerulean eyes. "I guess they're running late. I'm gonna make a campfire."

She nodded. "I'll help."

They had a campfire going within minutes, the ability almost instinctive even long after their adventuring days in the wilderness were long over. They sat next to each other on a log they had found, Cloud keeping his arm draped protectively around Tifa's shoulder. After some minutes of silence a rustling of leaves and twigs snapping reached their ears, and Cloud watched from the direction it came from with an intense stare. A breeze brought that familiar scent, and he sighed. "...He's here."

He felt Tifa stiffen, smelled fear weeping from her, and he gave her a squeeze to remind her that he was there to keep her safe. The sound grew closer, and soon they were greeted to a man wearing simple clothing and a worn brown trench coat; Cloud's father wore brown pants and a white shirt and the usual mountain boots of the area, of a chocolate brown color. He looked at the two in front of him, regarding them curiously, then sat on the other side of the campfire. Cait Sith followed at his feet, then sat between them as if a mediator.

Cloud looked at this man who called himself his father, wondering if Reeve had spoken any sense into him over the last several days; the glint in his eyes different than the first night they met. The swordsman had to wonder if it was enough to avoid killing him tonight, or if he cared enough to want to avoid it. In the end he concluded he'd rather not, but if he refused help or if Tifa asked, he would comply. The feeling was wavering however, for whatever reason.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither side ready to speak to the other. Tifa was studying him and his similarities with Cloud, observing the man's eyes as he watched back; yes, those blue eyes were the ones she saw watching her and her mother from the woods. She shuddered and leaned into Cloud. _'We decide if he lives or dies tonight...And then what?'_

"So...you're pregnant." He started. His voice was a little rough and low with a stronger accent than either she or Cloud; it surprised Tifa.

She blushed. "Y-yeah."

He nodded and looked away. "Congratulations."

Tifa swallowed hard. "Um, thank you..." She shook her head, trying to clear it. "I wanted to see you myself."

The old werewolf looked back at her with an appraising look. "Well, here I am. I haven't seen you in such a long time...to find out that not only were you two alive but together, that was...interesting news."

"Cloud told me what you told him that night." She sighed, collecting her thoughts. "I still feel flabbergasted by all of this. What can I say? You're partially responsible for my mother's death, but...you're also responsible for keeping Cloud alive during the winter..." She looked away, her body tense. What should she do?

The man gave a mirthless chuckle. "Sorry if I'm not some clear-cut boogeyman." He softly kicked at the leaves by his foot. "I'm a werewolf. Most humans are gonna be prey to us..."

"I'm not like that." Cloud said indignantly.

"I get it, you have support."

The warrior sighed. "You refused Mom's support!"

His father looked back towards his son, annoyed. "Yeah, because it would have just gotten you two booted from the village, like I said. What, was I supposed to infect you both so we could eat people and deer in the forests?" He snorted, shaking his head. "Lovely picture..."

Tifa rubbed her belly, looking down at the earth between her feet. "Is there still a person left in you...?" She lifted her head up slowly, observing the man's eyes.

"We're talking, aren't we?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

The man sighed, rubbing his hands together. "I've just grown used to this existence, I suppose. After you've done what I've done, it just doesn't seem a problem anymore."

"Why not stop, then?" She didn't want this to end in bloodshed, not tonight. "You don't have to do this anymore."

He shrugged, and looked over at Cait Sith. "I don't see how the hell you three are so damn optimistic. This guy thinks it's simple."

"I didn't say that. I said it takes a few simple changes in how you see things. We all had to deal with that when faced with what we'd done." Cait Sith said, frowning.

Cloud nodded. "That's right. I still have a duty towards the people of Edge for my actions. Because of that, it's helped me get where I am now..."

"It changed you over time, you mean."

"Yeah. I've done some pretty terrible things in the past and...I want to at least feel like I've put in an effort to make things better." Cloud said, looking into the fire. Tifa nodded, remembering the guilt from the Sector Seven plate collapse. Just to kill them...

The older man shook his head. "You helped save the damn Planet, and you still think you have a debt to repay?"

The warrior looked up. "I do have a debt to repay. Saved the Planet...I wanted revenge on Sephiroth, pure and simple. The people who lost their lives because I couldn't control myself, the people still alive who had to suffer and rebuild..."

Cloud's father looked down. "That's right. You said you were under that bastard's control."

"Yeah. I won't be under another's control again, and I won't let this control me, either. I've had enough of it for a lifetime." Cloud said with a sour look on his face.

The older werewolf sighed, rubbing his face. "You really believe in me, when you barely know me?"

Tifa frowned. "I know you did this to Cloud, but..." She turned away again, her emotions churning in her chest. "...I don't want him to have to kill a family member, even if you do deserve it."

He snorted. "You could do it, then."

"I'd rather not resort to it if I can help it." She replied in a curt manner.

They sat in silence again, the werewolf staring off into the fire. Cloud observed him from time to time, and sniffing the air for any ques from Tifa. She smelled like so many emotions, fear and hate and sadness and optimism. What did she want, really? _'She knows what she wants as much as I know what I want.'_

"A chance...you want to give me a chance to change. Hm. I wonder what your mother would think of all this."

Cloud shrugged. "She wanted to help you, you said it yourself. I said I would have, too." he reiterated.

His father grunted. "And you would now, after everything I've done? You're a lot like your mother, Cloud." He looked over at Cait Sith, nodding with a heavy sigh. "Fine."

Tifa blinked. "So you'll stop...?"

"Yeah. I don't really have a choice, anyway...Maybe I've lived like this long enough. I still have a family...Cloud, your mother would probably want this from me, and I owe her and you this much, if just for keeping me from ending up more like those ones that lurk in Junon." He looked up into his son's eyes, nodding with a sigh.

"I guess Reeve told you what we've been up against, then." The warrior said ruefully.

The older werewolf nodded. "He's told me a lot."

"I still don't want you near the kids alone. Letting you live is one thing, but trusting you..." Tifa whispered.

"One step at a time, little Tifa." He stood up, brushing off his pants. "Your friend will keep me in Junon. He said it's still about the same since the time I visited it."

Cloud looked up at him. "What will you do there?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure he'll find a use for me. I'm not that old, you know," he said with a wry grin. He picked up Cait Sith, the robot finding his way to a shoulder. "I'll journey tomorrow, towards Costa del Sol. Not too long a journey through the mountain passes."

The robot nodded. "When he reaches Junon, I'll come back to Edge."

"You mean I won't have someone hovering over me day and night?" The old werewolf replied sarcastically.

Cait Sith made a snorting sound. "You make it sound like it's a bad thing to have company," it squeaked.

The werewolf chuckled, shaking his head. "We'll see." He looked down at the couple watching him and gave them an approving nod. "...I better be going, now. Take care of your family, and...I'll try my best." He turned away from the fire, slowly walking deeper into the forest.

"Good luck." Cloud whispered.

The couple made their way back to town after putting out the small camp fire and made their way to their room, neither hungry despite their sparse eating throughout the trip. Cloud held Tifa close to him in bed, the two whispering about their meeting. Were they both dedicated to this decision? It was too late to renege on it, as it was. All they could do was hope that he would change for the better in Junon.

Waking up early they decided to leave and visit Cosmo Canyon instead of lingering longer than they needed to in the haunted village, and with one last look they headed on their way back home. As Cloud took the dirt road towards the smoother road laid out by the WRO he caught a glimpse of a large blond wolf at the treeline, with a cat riding its back. _'I guess they're off on their way, too.'_

The light of day slowly grew as they traveled through the plains, and by lunch made it to Cosmo Canyon. The scent of the place was absolutely enchanting to Cloud, never having visited in his deliveries as a werewolf. It was dry and earthy with hints of fire and sun baked stone, similar to what a human would smell but amplified; he wondered if he could catch anything else with his muzzle.

"Cloud, do you think we should visit Nanaki before we get something to eat?" Tifa asked as she took off her sweater, the area naturally warm year round but for the evenings. A white blouse had laid underneath, and she tied the warm article of clothing to her hips.

He agreed and they both headed towards the Starlet Pub. They asked Elder Bughe if their friend was about, and were told he had left that morning but would be back soon. Shrugging, the two sat at the counter of the pub, ordering their lunches.

Cloud stared at the polished wood of the counter. "...Did we make the right choice?" He looked back up and into Tifa's eyes, searching her for answers.

Tifa bit her lip and looked away a moment. "I don't know. I'm still upset with him, it's opened up old wounds. But Papa could have done something other than that folk cure...Would it even matter? Sephiroth would have killed her..." her voice ended bitterly, and Cloud rubbed her shoulder.

"I feel the same way about it. But...I don't think I had it in me to do it if it came down to it." His expression was pained, as if he'd failed her with his admission.

The woman nodded emphatically. "I felt the same way. I don't think I'd have been able to do it if it was my father, either."

Cloud snorted. "Yeah, but you knew your father."

"Regardless, Cloud. Well, maybe he'll turn a new leaf in Junon."

"I hope so." The blond swordsman leaned his cheek on his hand, thinking. "Makes me wonder how much those lore books actually have right."

Tifa tapped her fingers against the counter, humming. "I don't know." She looked back at him with an amused smile, making him raise his brows. "Maybe you can write a book to correct what they have wrong."

He chuckled as their food was placed by them. "Better from someone in the know, huh?"

After lunch they took a walk through the main area of the canyon, then sat at the Cosmo Candle. It had been years since Tifa had sat by this very flame with Cloud, waiting on their friend as he tended to Elder Bughenhagen's last moments in silence. Despite the reason, it was nice to leave Edge and see the world again for a time.

They talked to each other as they watched the sacred fire, eventually interrupted from behind by their friend Nanaki. The beast was happy to see them in his home for once, though he was sniffing Cloud curiously.

"You don't smell like a beast anymore. Don't tell me you've some how cured yourself?" Nanaki asked hopefully.

Cloud shook his head. "Nope, still nightmare fuel."

"Cloud, you're not 'nightmare fuel'." Tifa chastised, causing him to grin.

The beast cocked his head. "But how come your scent is so...normal?" He sniffed again, confirming the familiar smell. Cloud told him of what happened recently, Nanaki's eye growing wide from the terrible story. In the end he shook his head, sighing. "I sometimes think scientists are the most terrifying of monsters on Gaia. To do such a thing..."

Cloud nodded in agreement. "I think you may be right. I guess I should look on the bright side of it, I don't have to worry about silver anymore, at least." He shuddered, remembering the hideous pain that metal brought. "It's just unfortunate there's now a number of werewolves out there with the same immunity I have, and they're already hard for most people to kill."

Nanaki shook his head, disliking the thought. "I only hope they are rid of soon, instead of festering as they are now." He appraised his friends, giving them a smile. "But enough of that. What brings you two here?"

Cloud and Tifa told them of their journey to Nibelheim and why, shocking the young Guardian. "So, that's why we're visiting." Tifa finished.

"Your father was the very same werewolf who changed you? How did you not kill him?"

The swordsman shrugged. "The only thing that really upsets me was that it was against my will...and that he'd been planning it for a long time, or so he said." He rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. "He can work off his debt with Reeve. If he relapses, I'll finish it."

"I see. I suppose it's best to hope, isn't it?" Nanaki chuckled. "I'm glad you adapted so well. But...I didn't know such a thing couldn't prevent pregnancy." He looked over at Tifa with an amused grin.

She blushed, turning away momentarily. "We were surprised too, Nanaki."

"I'm sure it will be fine, Tifa. There's no bestial scent..."

Cloud raised a brow. "I never thought of that." He sniffed near his wife, and it was true; there wasn't anything similar to a werewolf's scent. Still, he had worry. "...Maybe that'll develop later."

The beast shook its head. "I hope not. So far so good, right?"

They continued talking for a while, Cloud asking if being alone in the wilderness changed him any and was given an affirmative; being in one world or another changed his state of mind somewhat. It brought mention of Penny, the Guardian considering a visit to the teen when he was in the area next. The couple resumed their travels after saying goodbye, making it to the Gongaga ferry by evening, the last trip of the day. The two stood by the side of the ship, star gazing on the clear, calm night silently before eventually finding sleep next to Fenrir after the swordsman took out his travel blanket.

The morning was crisp, Cloud joking that he'd appreciate his fur more in the winter; Tifa agreed, saying she wouldn't have minded it next to her last night, causing him to blush. They disembarked and found their way home again, the children and Barret happy to see them after two days. The gunman looked at their wary faces, and coaxed the children upstairs to talk to Cloud and Tifa alone.

"So'd you do the deed, or is he still prowlin' around out there?" Barret asked with a raised brow. He scratched absentmindedly near one of his cornrows.

Tifa slowly shook her head. "No. We'll let Reeve try and help him for now."

The gunman snorted. "Knew ya didn't have it in ya to do it. I'm gonna be watchin' him like a damn hawk if he's near Reeve." He looked over at Cloud. "How d'you feel about it?"

Cloud shrugged, looking down at the table he sat by. "Still weird. I don't know if he's willing to change because of the threat of death or because he wants to, or both. But...maybe it's bias on my part."

"Well, I don't blame you. Killin' your own family, even if he's a damn mutt...that's tough."

The warrior frowned. "You were willing enough to kill me when you found out..." he said bitterly.

Barret shook his head. "Can ya blame me? For all I knew it changed you into a sneaky, homicidal man-eater!" He rubbed his chin, thinking. "Those books got barely anything on good ones."

"I know. I was terrified that was gonna happen at first, too." He looked towards the counter. "I can smell you guys, you know that."

Marlene popped her head out. "What's this about killing family, Papa?" The children came up to confront the adults, curious. Their little jaws dropped at Cloud's admission and story, never thinking that that would have been the reason for his hesitancy in killing the werewolf that changed him.

"So that's why you wouldn't kill him...Do you believe in him?" Zeph asked.

Cloud shrugged. "Don't know. Guess I don't have a choice, now."

"Are we gonna meet him?" Marlene asked innocently.

"No!" Cloud and Barret answered simultaneously.

"Oh. It's still Cloud's papa, though..." Marlene left to go to her room quietly.

Denzel met Cloud's gaze. "What's he like?"

The swordsman thought a moment. "Kinda blunt."

The boy gave his guardian a look. "That's it?"

"I've only met him twice, Denzel...Maybe I'll get a better picture of him later."

* * *

By the next week Cait Sith had returned, bringing news of their meeting in Junon with Barret predictably giving his standard greeting and threat. Cloud continued on with his patrol of the city, always on the look out for troublesome wolves and now people as their numbers had dwindled; the swordsman wore a loose hoody as the chill in the air grew and to keep from standing out too much in the evenings.

He sometimes wondered to the cat if any of the werewolves he had killed were salvageable, but in the end neither were sure. Both agreed, however, that there were perhaps both humans and wolves worth saving, and those who weren't.

"How's my father holding up?" Cloud asked.

The robot looked around in the darkness on his friend's shoulder as they prowled a busy alley. "Good so far. I have him help with clean up in Junon, here and there, nothing too shady until I trust him more."

The warrior nodded as he walked by a crowd of young teens. "I guess that nose of his helps."

"Barret does, too. When he's not looking for oil fields he's helping purge Junon of that underground." A sigh came from the cat as he shook his head. "They're both distrustful of each other, but they're effective together, too."

Cloud chuckled. "Kinda like me and him in the beginning. He gave me a chance because I was Tifa's friend..."

"...And look where that got you." They both chuckled, then the robot continued. "It was nice of Marlene to give your father that note, by the way. I could tell he liked it."

"...What note?"

"She didn't tell you? Marlene made Barret promise to give it to him before he left." Cait Sith had an amused voice.

Cloud frowned, listening for any trouble as he came to an intersection. "What did it say?"

Cait Sith shrugged. "He never said. He keeps the note in his pocket, however."

The next week came and went peacefully, Tifa getting her first ultrasounds; the baby was so far healthy and nothing out of place, the heartbeat strong. Cloud insisted on going with her, just like anywhere else she went, and he chalked it up to those strange instincts that he acquired so many months ago. He patrolled during the evenings if just to keep away from the strange males that he wanted to kill, though he knew Tifa could handle them easily if they started to cause trouble.

After one more week they made the pregnancy official to their friends and the children, Marlene bouncing up and down and hoping for a girl to balance the house out. Denzel and Zeph hoped for another boy so they could completely outnumber the girls in a friendly competition of demographics.

"You coulda told me, Spike! I helped get the kids out of the house, ya know!" Yuffie scolded as her friend visited the WRO building in Edge before buying a few Halloween supplies for the children.

He grinned. "Sorry. A lot happened between then and now..."

She waved dismissively as she leaned against a wall. "Yeah, I know. But now we gotta prepare a baby shower and a little wedding party. You guys need to stop puttin' this stuff off or we are _never_ gonna catch up."

Cloud nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. "Right now I gotta get the kids ready for Halloween, it's in a couple of weeks."

Yuffie's eyes lit up. "You dressin' up?"

"Heh, well maybe I could."

She grinned at him, making him blush. "I hear werewolves are gonna be big this year, if you couldn't tell already."

"I'm not going as myself..." he whispered. Running his tongue over one of his upper canines, he thought a moment. "...Maybe a vampire. They're pretty cool."

Yuffie laughed at the choice, Cloud crossing his arms. "A werewolf masquerading as a vampire? Please do!"

The warrior snorted. "I have the teeth for it..."

"Oh, hey. Do you think you could like, let your ears go, just a little bit?"

"I never tried..." He figured if he could let his teeth go, his ears shouldn't be a problem. He looked around for anyone nearby, then concentrated on his ears. Cloud turned his head so the ninja could examine them, and she traced the shape with her finger. "How does it look?"

"Perfect!" Yuffie responded. "I'm gonna go as a Turk." She smiled innocently.

Cloud blinked. "...A Turk."

"What, they're scary, right?"

He eventually left and shopped for the mentioned supplies, looking for things the children had forgotten to pick up with their allowance for costumes. Cloud decided to look at some of the accessories for himself, too, not wanting to wear a full costume; he figured his usual clothing was dour as it was and just needed a few things to make it look more like a vampire's outfit. _'I hope those don't actually exist, too...'_

Finding what he needed he purchased them and went home, the bar picking up for lunch; Cloud later on went downstairs to eat and had Tifa giggling as he told her his costume plans. He gave an unconvincing frown as she continued to laugh.

"So what are you gonna dress up as, then?" He pressed before taking a bite of his meal.

She smiled, wiping a tear from her eye. "Oh, maybe a witch. I still have that hat from several years ago, you know."

"A vampire and a witch..."

"Hm. I guess this means you won't be patrolling on Halloween?" Tifa asked in a hopeful voice.

He nodded. "Things have quieted down, anyway." Cloud sat in silence for a few minutes as he ate, then spoke up again. "...We have to go to that parent's conference tonight, don't we?"

"Yeah. I'll close the bar early...this will be your first time attending, won't it?"

He gave Tifa a sad look. "...Guess I've missed a lot in the past..."

Tifa shrugged. "Of all the things, this is probably the most boring thing you've missed."

* * *

She wasn't wrong, either, in Cloud's opinion. Teachers would explain how the children were progressing in their classes, the most exasperated being the math teacher; it seems many children were having issues with the learning curve this year in Denzel's and Zeph's grade, but there was nothing bad to report on Marlene. Cloud's eyes lit up when he met the science teacher, the man recognizing him as well.

"Uh, I guess I have your children this year. What a coincidence." The teacher said.

Cloud nodded. "Are you doing alright, Mister..." He glanced at the name plaque. "Gale?"

Mr. Gale smiled. "Thanks to you, of course." He sat himself at his desk, lifting some papers. "Denzel is exceeding in science, and seems to have a knack for monster biology. If you'd like him to succeed in that venue, I suggest this reading list so he'll be ready for advanced classes in that subject."

Cloud and Tifa nodded, taking the list; they would go over it with Denzel first. "Great," Tifa said, "and how is Zeph?"

Mr. Gales frowned. "He's struggling a little bit, but I think if he was given some tutoring Zeph should catch up. He seems to enjoy science, but sometimes I feel he hasn't had much exposure to the subjects taught."

It would be true, Cloud thought. The family had given him several crash courses in different subjects, but it could only do so much. They talked some more before shaking hands at last, ready to leave for the night and the warrior ready to do rounds about the city.

"Ah, Mr. Strife?"

He looked back. "Cloud's fine."

The teacher nodded. "I wanted to ask, but how did you find me?"

Cloud blushed and looked away. "It was just luck. I have a knack for finding trouble." He left with Tifa, both trying to find their way out of the school. The warrior sniffed the air for the scent of cool air, but frowned at the smells coming to him. He looked up and immediately recognized the Aldives, who seemed to be walking right towards them. _'Great...'_

"Hello, you two!" Mrs. Aldive started. Her curled blonde hair bounced to her shoulders, and she wore a casual, violet dress. Her husband stood to her side, his chestnut hair well groomed. They weren't considered the most prominent of families in Edge, but they plenty of sway and wealth to be manipulative within the sphere of politics for good or ill.

Mr. Aldive chuckled. "It's not often we see the both of you together."

Tifa put on one of her best fake smiles, usually reserved for drunk, flirty patrons or nosy detectives. "Well, we don't really see you two very often as it is." Cloud kept a disinterested frown on his face, wanting to finish the facade quickly. He had things to hunt.

Mrs. Aldive cocked her head. "But, Mr. Strife, you've been about the city more often as of late. Is it true the President of the WRO requested you keep the city safe from those savage monsters?"

He nodded curtly in response.

"You two have wonderful connections, despite living in such humble conditions. You should really join in the city's politics and have your voices heard..." Mr. Aldive said.

Cloud shook his head, annoyed at the thought his living conditions were close to humble. Maybe to a former plate dweller from one of the nicer sectors, but not to someone of his background. "I have enough on my plate as it is. If you'll excuse us..." He gave a head bow out of politeness, Tifa waving good bye with a smile. The warrior held her hand as they finally found themselves at the front gate of the school, both sighing heavily.

"They stink of something that I can't put my finger on..." Cloud mumbled. He assumed he was still too fresh to know every emotion, every scent.

Tifa snorted. "Insincerity? Shallowness?"

He smiled, shrugging. "It's almost sickly-sweet. Makes me wanna wrinkle my nose and leave."

She giggled as they walked into the dark street, towards the bar. "So they smell like bad meat?"

Cloud started chuckling with her. "Yeah, sort of. It's not like they're made of rotten meat, just there's that reminiscent odor..." He wrinkled his nose and rubbed it.

They separated at the bar, Cait Sith waiting on the steps for their return. Cloud gave Tifa a kiss before she went through the door to retire for the evening, touching her belly as the warrior had grown to do over the weeks as a sign of affection. With his mate behind locked doors, he began his rounds.

"Oh. Sounds like they want what you have. More connections." Cait Sith said as he rode his friend's back in the darkness.

Cloud shook his head, taking another turn. He had come to know the alleys intimately over the last few weeks, the best places to hide and the easiest angles to ambush. He was confident he could hide away even when he was fully transformed at this point. "They can hunger for them all they want."

He sniffed about, his eyes glowing eerily from under his hood as his breath left barely visible puffs to disperse into the air. The warrior's patrols had been a combination of lurking wolves and monstrous humans, though the closer to the city proper he found people to be just as bad as the wolves in many cases. He still did it, though he refused to be called a hero for it. He was a hunter.

Cloud found a blood trail, and swiftly followed. He wondered what exactly happened under the peacekeepers' noses sometimes, then remembered they can't smell as well as he could. This part of his job was fun, when he found something of interest; closing in on the scent he noticed the blood trail followed by sounds.

"What do we have here..." the warrior mumbled softly to himself as he came across a barely moving figure. It fidgeted at the sound of his voice, and Cloud put Cait Sith down, offering him some of his potions to assist the youth. He sniffed the area, the scents too faint to pinpoint where the perpetrators went. "No good..." Turning to the young man, he looked into his eyes. "Hey. Who did this? Where did they go?"

The teen was barely older than Denzel, perhaps by a couple of years. He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "I just woke up...where's my brother?" he croaked.

"...Your brother?" He sniffed again.

The young man grimaced as Cait Sith poured an X-potion on the gut wound; they wouldn't take a chance with a youngster, but it would still take time to knit him up fully. "They took him away. I...made a bad deal."

Cloud shook his head. "Maybe you shouldn't deal with predators if you can't handle the consequences." He bit his lip; the trail was growing colder. "Cait Sith, can you guide him towards the nearest Peacekeeper station?"

The cat nodded, then looked at the boy. "Cannae git up, lad?"

The teen slowly, painfully lifted himself up after a moment. The potion was still working and stinging his abdomen. "Yeah. Just go slow...what about my brother?"

"I'll find him. But you better lay off those stupid drugs, because not everyone gets second chances." Cloud said bitterly. He could smell them, the dry chemical scent that made him want to sneeze.

"How did you know?"

Cait Sith prodded the young man. "C'mon, laddy! let'em find yer brother!" The cat gave a thumbs up before the two disappeared the way they came. Cloud quickly made his way to a small dead end, a narrow and short alley shrouded in darkness. He stripped his clothing off and quickly let his body flow into his larger, furrier, clawed form.

He looked about and then crawled towards the now enhanced scents, checking from time to time for any bystanders or window watchers. Cloud made several twists and turns in the maze of lonely streets, the scent trail growing stronger and stronger. It stopped at an abandoned building, the rotten door hanging open. The werewolf peeked in, finding the dark room unoccupied; voices came from up the stairs and he followed them, his body tense with anticipation.

 _ **'How many...Six, seven? One more...The boy. I'll keep him safe. The others...'**_ He noticed he was getting much better mentally. Cloud listened at the base of the stairs, their plans and where their little stashes were; the boy crying in some corner of the room as they ignored him, a victim of the older brother's drug deal. Strictly business with them, it seemed. He gnashed his jaw, wanting to conclude their business permanently.

With an effortless leap he found himself on the second floor, the small gang staring at his furry, powerful form as he quickly took in where everyone was. His opponents were huddled on two sofas with a lamp on a table covered in numerous items and bills, the boy staring wide-eyed in the far corner as he laid on his side. Perfect, he couldn't move from that spot.

They screamed curses and shot at him immediately, and he leaped into their midst and knocked away their lamp and table as he dissected one with a claw then gored another. The arena was mostly dark, the light from the lamp behind the sofa now as it hung from its cord and casting grey shadows. When one opponent thought to fight back, he quickly ended their life with a claw or a bite to some part of their body; one attempted to slash his muzzle and was savaged with a crushing bite to the neck, then a swift movement of his foot to snap the spine.

A man wearing leathers tried to beat him with a silver coated club; Cloud sneered as the metal harmlessly bounced off him, and he severed his arm before pushing him down and kicking his head with the full force of his foot. The werewolf looked over as another took out a can, he put his whole weight on the man as he let out a small amount of the gas Cloud loathed, causing him to snort as he tore through the man's neck and shoulder. He sneezed and looked about, fortunate that only a short spritz of the gas had leaked out.

The last one attempted to drop down the stairs, but the werewolf dropped onto him and used his feet to crush his rib cage as he fell on him. He growled after he was finished, then came back up the stairs to make certain the others were dead. Cloud licked at the blood that had stopped leaking from his cut, and peeked behind the sofa, his face illuminated by the hanging lamp.

The child was watching him with saucer like eyes, whimpering into his cloth gag. He began screaming into it as the werewolf slowly approached, the beast cocking its head as he stopped his crawl.

Cloud looked over the child for any injuries and observed the rope holding him hostage, several knots keeping the thrashing child in place. It was thick and tied almost too tightly around his arms and legs.

 _ **'...This is gonna be hard...'**_ He couldn't change here, not without his clothing. As gently as he could, Cloud maneuvered his arms around the child and held the squirming boy in his arms, then swiftly leaped down the stairs to the darkness below. The child was still screaming into the gag, and Cloud wondered how he hadn't fainted yet; he peeked out the door before dashing the way he came, as fast as he could on two legs.

Cloud swore he heard a shout halfway through his journey, the child now just shivering and quietly sobbing while balanced on his shoulder. Picking up the pace as best he could he pressed them deeper into the darkness of the alleyways as he followed his scent back to his clothing; he looked around occasionally out of paranoia in case there were interlopers that would make the night harder. He huffed as they closed in on the destination, relieved.

He heard a rifle cock and he froze before turning into his alley, and slowly looked in the direction of the sound. Cloud grumbled; a peacekeeper must have been alerted by the boy's brother. _**'Damn.'**_ A flashlight was shining into his face and he growled, making the child tense and whimper.

"H-hey, is that you, man?" A nervous, familiar voice spoke lowly.

"O' course it is! Who else'd be?" Cait Sith. Cloud let out a sigh as the two approached him, letting Ichi take the child from him as the peacekeeper put away his rifle and turned off his hip light. The werewolf looked over the child, who was still looking up at him with terrified and confused eyes. He turned away and hid in the alley, peeking his head out after a a minute of dressing; his hood was up as he casually walked over.

"Sorry. The trail was really weak..." Cloud mumbled.

Ichi shook his head. "Stupid kid. Admitted to trying to hustle...He's fifteen and hustling."

The warrior shrugged, looking over the child; he found the gag's tie and pulled it, letting the boy breathe through his mouth finally. "It's not that shocking." He'd seen it all in the slums, anyway.

"Where's my brother?" the boy asked desperately.

"He's at the station, safe." Ichi assured the boy. He looked up at Cloud and gave him a nod. "Thanks for finding him."

"It's no problem." He looked back down at the boy, his bangs covering his eyes more because of his large hood. "Let's keep this a secret, okay?"

"I doubt anyone's gonna believe him, anyway." Ichi said flatly.

Cloud turned around, Cait Sith climbing on his back. "I guess not. Well, if you need me, you know where to find me. Take care, Ichi." He disappeared into the darkness as the peacekeeper walked towards the station with the child in his arms.

"Night."


	43. Halloween and Second Guesses

"Teef?"

"Hm?"

"...Are you eating the Halloween chocolate?" Cloud raised a brow as he sat on the bed, looking over at Tifa.

She didn't answer but began fussing with her witch's hat, the large, black brim shading her head, the conical top purposefully bent and a burgandy wrap of fabric at the base. Tifa hummed a little bit, then began checking her dress. "...Soon I won't be able to wear things like this..."

Cloud grinned, putting on black pants and a black leather jacket Denzel agreed would make him look more like a scary biker vampire. "I can smell the chocolate from here, you know."

Tifa looked back at the warrior with a pout. "I bought it, so I should have some." She moved towards Cloud and bent over, grabbing her long boots and giving the man a sight to ogle.

"But Tifa, that's for the trick-or-treaters..." he teased, putting on the little skull accessories. She turned around when she finished with her boots, hands on her hips and obviously suffering from her mood swings. "If you wanted chocolate, you should have asked...you know I'd provide, right?" He was smiling up at her.

She sighed. "No, it's fine. They're just food cravings. I'll work it out."

"Are you sure? This isn't the first time I caught you sneaking Halloween candy this week..." Cloud stood up, giving her a knowing look with his hands behind his back.

She narrowed her eyes and pointed up towards his face. "Damn your nose!"

He laughed as she continued to pout. "But, it helps me know what you need sometimes..." Cloud brought his hands forward, one holding a chocolate bar from one of the fancier chocolatiers in the city; her eyes went wide as she slowly took it from his hands.

"This...these aren't cheap...Is this alright?"

The warrior nodded, and kissed her on the forehead. "Rufus' pay was pretty generous."

She examined it as she opened it up and took a square, and bit into it. "This is so good..." Tifa wrapped it back up and took it to her dresser, keeping it away from the prying hands of the children; Cloud imagined a dragon guarding a treasure hoard. The woman walked back up to Cloud as he finished his accessories and boots, looking rather rugged and dour in his costume. She gave him a kiss on the lips, the taste of the chocolate and her mouth mingling; it suited him to his surprise.

"Didn't think I'd like the taste of chocolate again." he said as he slowly licked his lips.

Tifa giggled. "Oh, don't forget your make up...Vampires are supposed to be pale, remember?" She fished about for the make up on the bed.

Cloud snorted. "I'm pale as it is."

She gave a mischievous grin. "Don't you wanna look pretty again, Miss Cloud?" The man groaned as his wife went to work on him. Soon, she had his face a few shades paler and his eyelids a shade of ashy grey to compliment the undead look. He insisted on keeping his lips the same color, but Tifa traced some blood stains from the corner of his lip to his chin. She looked him over and smiled. "There. A werewolf dressed as a vampire."

The warrior walked towards the mirror on the door and observed his make up and costume, looking this way and that. His canines nearly poked out of his mouth, and his ears were just pointed enough. The eye shadow on his almost white face made him look like he hadn't slept in days, and he grinned. "Looks pretty good." He glanced back at Tifa, raking over her witch costume. "Not as good as yours, though."

She laughed, coming to his side and giving it a squeeze. "Oh, I don't know about that."

They walked towards Marlene's room, the three children dressing up with a mirror leaning against a wall. Marlene was finishing her angel costume, and Zeph was putting the final touches on his zombie make up. Denzel was looking over his costume, dressed up as a werewolf, his face covered in a furry mask. He looked over and walked towards his guardians, hands on his hips as he pridefully showed off his costume.

"You look pretty spooky, Cloud." Denzel looked at Tifa, and pointed at her dark dress. "It kinda matches, I think..."

The warrior grinned, Tifa blushing next to him. "You wanted to be a werewolf for the night, huh?"

"I wanted to look like you and Gramps." He declared.

Cloud blinked. "...Gramps?"

Denzel shrugged. "I guess the sentiment is there..." Both adults noticed he was smiling under his mask, and he turned to walk away.

* * *

Cloud watched the children as they went house to house, collecting candy from neighbors on their street. He absentmindedly scratched the back of his head, hoping that they wouldn't attempt to go into a sugar coma like the last several Halloweens; the first day of November had them hyper and distracted from all the candies. _'Maybe Tifa can sneak some of their stash, after all...'_

"Aaaah! It's a Full Moon out tonight!" A child said to their mother as they passed by the waiting werewolf.

"Looks like there's a lot of werewolves out, looking for candy to eat!" the woman replied jokingly.

 _'If only candy tasted good...'_

Cloud looked up, the moon shining overhead. It wasn't quite full just yet, but most people still couldn't tell the difference. He didn't before, but he sure as hell did now. The warrior still didn't understand it, the relationship between he and the moon, and he assumed he never really would; maybe it was to coax the change out of new wolves, he certainly would never had pushed himself to do so that first night.

"Hey, we're ready for the next batch of houses, Cloud!" Marlene chimed.

He looked down and nodded, walking with them towards their sweet treasures. _'Yuffie was right, we're popular costumes this year. And here I am, dressed as a vampire.'_ The warrior retreated back into his thoughts. _'Sometimes this new job is so tiresome. Werewolves, humans...they all act so foolishly. They're both capable of terrible things. Why focus on one, because we can infect others? They eat people, but it's worse that someone was killed in the first place.'_ He sighed, slowly walking to keep pace with the children. _'So what sets off werewolves...is it the same as any other undesirable in society, and letting the instincts do as they please? Is it psychological, waking up to what they've done, and losing hope? Then, it's tragic.'_

He doubted all of them were in that boat. Valdt was obviously an absolute psychopath, and probably was one before he changed. What about the others he killed? His father was so far adapting, even if Barret was a little rough and Shelke bothered him with her dry questions, or so Reeve had said. How many had he killed, how long had he been alone? Was his father really changing at all? But he did keep Marlene's letter.

Cloud had asked the girl about it, curious as to why she went through the trouble of getting Barret to hand the letter over.

"So why'd you send him a letter, anyway?"

Marlene grinned at him from the other side of the table. "He's gotta know he has family rooting for him, right?"

Cloud frowned. "I don't know if he's part of the family..."

"Why not? You are, aren't you?" She pointed at the ring hanging off his chest.

"Well, yeah, but..."

"We gotta believe in him, just like we believed in you, I think." The girl said to him.

After a time the street became chillier, and the children's bags were bulging with various candies. Zeph had the biggest grin on his face, never having had so much candy in his life. Sometimes Cloud would see that flicker of sadness in the boy's green eyes, reading his thoughts; if only Fiore was here to share it with him. He patted the child on the back, giving him a small smile.

"Looks like you hit the jackpot tonight."

Zeph nodded. "I didn't know I'd get this much candy."

"We know what areas to hit these days." Denzel said under his mask.

Marlene happily hummed to herself, looking over her candy haul. "Soon we won't be able to trick or treat, we'll be too old."

"Too old?" Zeph asked, not familiar with the rules of a holiday that was rarely mentioned in the slums, even after Meteorfall; the desperate had no funds for tons of candy.

Denzel nodded. "Next year is our last year. Well, Marlene's got a couple more years left, but we're growing up."

Cloud nodded as he guided them home. "Yep. Guess you'll all have to stay at the bar..."

Denzel shook his head. "Not when there's parties to go to!"

There were parties to go to. There was one in the bar right now, mingling business with pleasure; Cait Sith was telling customer's fortunes as Tifa made holiday themed food and drinks for patrons. Soon the customers would all leave and they and their friends would have the bar to themselves, Yuffie having come early and assisting the bartender until they closed with the return of the children.

Yuffie bounded over to the four, slipping Wutai candies into the already full bags of the children before they charged upstairs to hide their hoard. "Happy Halloween, guys!" She looked up at Cloud and couldn't help but grin wildly. "You actually did it! I need a picture of this. Vampires show up in photos, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Really funny, Yuff-" A flash almost blinded him and he groaned. "Do you not remember the last time you did that?"

"Yeah, I still have the picture." she dead panned.

"Why..."

Their party was small and filled with familiar faces; Rosa had forced her uncle and Ichi to take her to see Zeph, and Vits and his family had come along as well, Natsumi running in afterwards. Two slipped in quietly; Nanaki had traveled with Yuri, a childhood friend of Yuffie's and one of the personal drives on her search for a cure for Geostigma. The costumed ninja squealed at both of them, giving the Guardian a hug first followed by one for Yuri.

 _'So this is Yuffie's crush, huh?'_ Cloud could smell it on both of them, and he turned away after making eye contact with the ninja, biting his lip to stop his smile. Yuffie came up to him after a few minutes, holding two cups of hot cider.

She narrowed her eyes. "What's so funny, Furball?" she whispered low.

"Nothing, nothing at all." He glanced at Yuri, who waved back, then back at Yuffie. "So that's your crush?"

"Is it a problem?"

The warrior shook his head. "Does he know?"

Yuffie turned red, telling him all he needed to know as she hurriedly walked past to offer the young man one of her cups. Cloud examined him; they were about the same height, his dark hair held back in a ponytail and his skin a Wutaian tan. Yuri noticeably had what many would consider an attractive nose, or at least that was how Yuffie put it, and his eyes were dark and almond shaped. He was dressed in a traditional Wutaian robe, and considering the day most would think all it was was a costume.

"That forest girl is a rather excitable person." Cloud quickly looked down, Nanaki addressing him.

Cloud raised his brows. "Oh, you already went to meet her?"

Nanaki nodded. "Curiosity got the best of me after our meeting...It wasn't hard to find, considering there's only one forest somewhat near the road between Junon and Edge, the others are further away than you said. I think we both just about scared each other half to death when we met." he huffed with humor.

"You guys didn't fight, right?"

"No, she wasn't quite sure what to make of me at first, but I assume she saw the pictures on your office desk. She stumbled out of the underbrush as I came into a clearing..." He chuckled. "Penny asked how my tail wasn't setting her forest on fire."

Cloud snorted. "None of us know how your tail works, either."

Nanaki winked. "We all have secrets, Cloud. Anyway, I stayed with her and Ithey for a time before coming here. I suppose information on werewolves is a bit more scant than I thought..." He looked up apologetically at his friend, remembering the first night he smelled his changed scent. "I suppose there's more to them than just monsters."

The warrior shrugged. "There's no easy black and white, is there?" The beast shook his head with a small smile, and both of them turned towards the counter, Tifa lowering a bowl for Nanaki to drink from; it was filled with cider, something he occasionally liked to lap.

"Want some?" Tifa asked jokingly, knowing he'd never take the sweet drink.

Cloud shook his head. "Got anything a vampire would drink?"

She laughed, and shook her head back. "Fresh out of blood, sorry. I've got some hot tea, though."

He grinned and went behind the counter for a mug of tea, and he watched the group as his wife stood next to him. Evan was egging on Vits as he tried to bite an apple in the basin of water, Kyrie shaking her head as Marlene and Nanaki looked on. Rosa was with Zeph, Denzel and Natsumi, Cait Sith telling their fortunes.

Yuffie and Yuri sat in a corner, talking and sipping their cider. Cloud chuckled to himself before sipping from his mug again, and Tifa looked at him quizzically.

"What's so funny?"

He looked down at her. "Those two are falling head over heels for each other, but I don't think either of them are aware."

"Oh? Can you smell it?" Tifa wrinkled her nose in jest, causing him to smile and nod.

"Yeah."

The two watched the small festivities for a while, Tifa bringing out a plate of pumpkin flavored cakes to the party goers as the evening went on. Ichi and Merle sat by the counter watching Rosa and talking here and there. They eyed Nanaki once in a while, the beast trying to bob an apple as Yuffie sassed him from her table.

"Oh, he helped us fight Valdt. Evan and Yuffie did, too." Tifa said.

They turned their heads to Tifa, the woman smiling at them. Ichi raised a brow. "I'll never understand how you two know the people you know."

She giggled. "We aren't that important." Not anymore, she thought to herself. Quiet was good.

"Rosa spoke of a talking red animal with a flaming tail, that helped guide them out of the sewer. I thought maybe it was some sort of delusion that her mind came up with to cope with all that had happened." Merle snorted, than took a sip of his cider. "Guess I was very wrong."

Cloud leaned his arms against the counter. "That day was terrible. We were forced to move on him when he kidnapped Vits." He looked over at the mentioned child, munching on a pumpkin cake while talking to Cait Sith. "He thought Evan was the other werewolf, not me..." He recounted the tale to the two, the holiday putting him in a mellow mood.

Ichi rubbed his chin. "That surprised everyone, when word got out. Both of us barely believed it until we were called in to assist in the clean up."

"And then, when Rosa showed up at my doorstep with a WRO official...when I found out that monster kept her there after killing her parents..." Merle said lowly, angrily.

Cloud looked down. "You wanted to take it out on the next werewolf you could find."

Merle nodded. "...And here we are. Hmph. Sipping cider in a werewolf's den. I guess life could be worse."

Ichi wore a wry grin. "Thank Gaia you're finally taking Harry's advice."

The tall peacekeeper rolled his eyes. "One day at a time, Ichi. Rosa doesn't need me dying from stress." He looked up at Cloud, the man sipping from his mug. "Haven't seen you passing by the ruins as much anymore."

The warrior shrugged. "Been staying closer to home."

"How come?" Ichi asked. "Not that it's a problem...no one believed that kid when he went off about you." Merle's friend working with a werewolf? Crazy talk.

Cloud shook his head, chuckling. "Well, I um..." His cheeks became red under his make up. "Tifa's...expecting."

"You're shitting us." Merle dead panned.

"No, it's true," Tifa said with a shy smile. "we're pretty sure the baby will be normal."

"I hope so." Merle replied sincerely. They talked a little more, Merle asking questions of Tifa about the school, Cloud watching the two unrequited lovers in the corner with interest on occasion. Evan came up to them after a while; he had dressed as a Frankenstein monster as best he could.

"I was inspired by a certain someone." he said, pointing at his make-up.

Cloud smiled. "Want me to send him a picture?"

Evan shook his head as he took a refill of his cider. "No, would rather not get on his bad side."

"That's remarkably hard to do."

"Is that so?"

Cloud nodded towards Yuffie. "She's still around, isn't she?"

After the party the guests left them to go home, thanking them for the party. Nanaki had told the party some old ghost stories from Cosmo Canyon, then sneaked in the story of how he and his friends defeated the undead Gi Tribe years ago, Tifa and Cloud blushing and Yuffie puffing out her chest. The warrior held open the door, his skin even paler with the moonlight shining upon the white makeup that covered his face. Vits looked up at him with a curious expression.

"Are those your real teeth?"

Cloud frowned. "When have they ever looked like this?"

Vits shrugged. "That one night we got lost."

The warrior shook his head. "Probably just the moonlight playing tricks."

The boy looked away, walking off. "I guess so." He didn't seem convinced.

Cloud closed the door as they all finished their goodbyes, and he was left with Yuffie, Yuri and Nanaki; Tifa had taken the children upstairs to get ready for bed. "So, you two sharin' a room or what?"

Yuri tripped over his words, uttering a long grunt at the question. Yuffie growled in that usual fashion when she was irritated, Cloud enjoying every moment he made her squirm. He shrugged casually, continuing. "What? The room has plenty of space, you know."

"I can keep yeh company, lassy!" Cait Sith chimed from his seat at the counter.

The ninja pointed a finger at the cat. "How about no? We'll be fine alone!"

He looked over at Yuri, appraising him. "When the kids are done using the bathroom, you're free to use it. Make yourself at home..." Cloud looked over at Yuffie, giving her a wink as he passed by to go upstairs. As he walked through the hallway he could hear the children chattering as they wiped away their makeup, speaking about their candy and Cait Sith's fortunes. Apparently Zeph would pass his test if he studied this or that, and Scott wouldn't choke on his lunch, but his unlucky color was red.

The baby would be a girl, to Marlene's glee. Would it be? It was too early to tell. Cloud didn't care either way, really. He figured it was the Nibelese culture that stuck with him to have broods of three to five, though he and Tifa's families never got around to it with their misfortunes. They were outlier families; the parents started very young but because of misfortune only ever had them. Here they were with three orphans and one on the way, and Cloud could confidently say it made that part of him feel complete.

The children finally left, Cloud leaning on the wall as he waited to wash his face off and hoping there wasn't much glitter on the sink. He moved towards the open door, his teeth and ears aching slightly as he moved them out of that between area they had been in all night, and he prayed the paste on his face wouldn't give him too much trouble.

"Hey. Hey Spike! Come here." Yuffie waved at him from his office door. He had just left the bathroom, his face still damp and slightly pink from scrubbing and his leather jacket removed. Cloud sighed and walked towards her, entering his office. She shut the door.

"What is it?"

Yuffie softly rubbed her foot against the wooden floor. "...Would you mind if I joined you for a patrol?"

He frowned. "...Is that what you want?"

"Yeah, y'know, Red and I can help!" she said innocently.

"Just you and Nanaki...?" Cloud narrowed his eyes.

She bit her lip. "Well, like, Yuri's no sissy either..."

The warrior crossed his arms. "...Are you trying to show off? You could get him killed if one of _them_ showed up."

Yuffie waved her hand. "My shuriken's got silver all over it! I already killed one when I went to visit my dad, no biggy!"

"Has he ever dealt with one up close?"

The ninja cocked her head, thinking. "I don't think so, no."

Cloud sighed, putting his hand through his hair. "The first time you dealt with me, you were freaking out. You, someone that...well, you've seen things." He looked at her sadly. "I have to deal with people being absolutely terrified of me to the point they're incoherent."

"Well you're really not that cute like that, you know." The sounds of gleeful shouts could be heard outside, and the thud of small things smashing into walls.

He groaned, rolling his eyes. "That's not the point...How long are you two staying?" He glanced at the window, noticing toilet paper was being tossed over anything that could be draped, and he cursed mentally.

Yuffie thought a few moments. "Several days!"

"You know it's almost a Full Moon, right?" The night after tomorrow...

"Hm, you're right. You're gonna have to hide somewhere!" she chimed.

"Yeah, in the bedroom where I belong." he paused. "Guess I'll have to have the door shut." _'Why do guests always show up at the worst possible time?'_

Yuffie looked at the floor, then back up at Cloud. "...Can I see you in the outfit I gave you? Please?"

He sighed, arms on his hips now. "Fine. I was gonna wear it anyway for my patrol." She cocked her head, and he explained what happened recently.

"You shoulda worn it in the first place, Spike."

Cloud shrugged. "Wasn't expecting I'd have trouble with a trail. Anyway, if you bring Yuri he's your responsibility to keep safe."

Yuffie clapped her hands together triumphantly. "You know I will! When have I ever let you guys down in battle?"

The warrior decided not to answer that question. "Oh, and...when are you telling him?"

"Tonight, so he knows he's gonna have an exciting night tomorrow."

Cloud shook his head. "Not that. Instead of showing off, why don't you tell him you like him? He obviously likes you..."

Yuffie narrowed her eyes and pouted. "Okay, like, you don't _know_ that, and you're one of the last people I'd take relationship advice from because you're dense as hell."

Before he could counter her argument she swiftly left, mumbling about how it's not as easy as it looks. Cloud rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, deciding to check on the children before going to bed, ignoring the sound of eggs smashing against the bar door.

* * *

"So this is what you do at night?"

Cloud looked over at Yuri. "Yeah."

"C'mon, let's bag some ugly fur-ball!" Yuffie said, oblivious to the look Cloud was giving her.

Nanaki and Cloud sighed, wandering through the alleys that closed in on the Sector Three ruins. Both of them smelled some faint trail that grew stronger in the darkness, and the warrior looked about warily. "I hope you can fight."

The young man lifted his nose in the air. "I've fought monsters before."

Cloud shook his head, his spikes covered by the hood of his robe. "Ever fight a monster with human intelligence? A monster that can turn you into one of them? Because that's what we're hunting."

Yuri faltered a moment but regained his composure; the warrior assumed he had something to prove like any other idiot in love. _'...Just like me.'_ His whole misadventure came about because he wanted a single girl to notice him. He paid a very high price for Tifa, but it was worth having her with him in the end, worth growing into someone better than he was. Or he hoped he had.

Nanaki growled. "The scent grows stronger..." The group grew quiet, following the red beast's lead. They silently took a few turns here and there, then heard footsteps and hurried breaths. Cloud looked about for the source of the sound, a woman bolting out of an alley and smashing right into Yuffie. The woman got up and started running again, and the warriors took out their weapons in anticipation.

The group collectively frowned as they waited, then Cloud charged into the darkness; there were no footfalls coming closer. The smell grew stronger as he came closer to the source and he looked about, Yuri shouting at him to wait and Yuffie telling the young man to shut up. Nanaki trotted closer, sniffing the air for some sign of further trouble; Cloud pointed one way and the beast nodded. "Watch our backs..." he said to the two Wutaians.

They came just outside of sword's reach, looking about. Of course they could barely see, Cloud mused; only he and Nanaki were equipped for this nightly foray and only the moon's light could assist when it hit particular alleys. The warrior stalked about and soon heard a shout, he turned the next corner to get closer to the noise. Nanaki growled nervously, looking up at Cloud. "Cloud...this is bad." he whispered.

He silently sniffed the air and frowned. No, this smell was different. "...Ambush." Cloud snapped his head towards Yuffie and Yuri, startling the young man with his wild, glowing eyes. He caught a glimmer of fur and claws the other two couldn't, and snarled as he pushed them out of the way and brandished First Tsurugi in front of the beast, the creature pausing below a shaft of moonlight that angled shortly into the alley. Nanaki let out an aggressive snarl, claw taps revealing the other beast.

The warrior looked up fearlessly at the werewolf, the creature visibly off-put by the lack of anxiety from the assumed human. "This was a very bad idea, on your part."

 _ **"You interrupted our hunt."**_ It growled, narrowing its eyes. _**"You all can replace that scrawny thing."**_

"Maybe you shouldn't hunt humans, and you wouldn't be in this predicament." the warrior retorted. The other one was growling at Nanaki, Yuffie aiming her shuriken in the dark as best she could; the beast was pacing from side to side, looking for a weakness as Nanaki matched it, his tail flicking in the dark.

"Uh...you're talking to it..." Yuri mumbled, his Su Yari shaking in his hand. The werewolf turned towards him, cautiously moving a foot forward. Cloud brought his sword up.

 _ **"Listen to you, lecturing us."**_

To kill, to give an ultimatum? His mind was moving back and forth, agitated at his sudden hesitant approach. "I'm giving you a choice..." he whispered as softly as he could. The werewolf's eyes widened and then narrowed, and it growled.

"Cloud, I don't think they're the reasoning types!" Yuffie chimed.

 _ **"Arrogant."**_ It roared hungrily and brought a clawed forearm down, attempting to disarm the warrior in front of it. Cloud smashed it with the side of his blade, knocking it into the wall of an adjacent building and began to walk closer to it. The beast attempted to get up and fight, but the warrior brought his fist down on its nose, making it whimper as it struggled for dominance in the fight.

Cloud brought his fist down again, still hesitant to kill them. "I gave you a choice."

Yuffie slashed at the other opponent after Nanaki lunged for its neck, the beast squawking a roar as its windpipe was cutoff. It thrashed about, trying to dislodge the fiery beast and whipping itself into a wall as silver cut into its arm. Finally, it knocked Nanaki into Yuffie, and gasped a quivering roar before attempting to slash at Yuffie, the ninja exposed on the ground.

She twirled this way and that as it tried to connect its fearsome claws with her body, her shuriken burning flesh as it batted the forearms away. Nanaki groaned, trying to regain his footing; his eye widened as he tried to stumble over to aid his friend, the attack knocking the wind out of him. The ninja blocked one more time, the creature slamming the shuriken out of her hand and ready to smash its sharp claws into her fragile chest.

Yuri stabbed the monster in the side, a scream erupting from its mouth before black blood flowed out. He released and again went to stab the neck, cutting the jugular. It gurgled as it choked, holding the wound with one clawed forearm and swinging the other towards the young man as it retreated backwards; it collapsed and twitched on the ground as Yuffie got on her feet, breathing heavily.

"Yuffie, are you okay?" Yuri asked nervously, eyeing the twitching, groaning mass.

She nodded. "Y-yeah...thank you, Yuri." Yuffie blushed in the dark, and gave him a coy smile. Turning towards Cloud and the other werewolf, she narrowed her eyes at it.

The beast was still struggling with Cloud, the man obviously reluctant to kill instead of subdue, mumbling to it to stop its attack. The werewolf looked up as its partner gasped its final breaths, and it paused in its struggle. _**"Stella!"**_ it roared, its hand grasping towards the dead wolf. Cloud froze, unsure what to do now as his opponent stopped struggling in his grip. He was about to speak when a shuriken slammed into its forehead, the monster permanently silenced.

Yuffie casually walked up to the dead monster and ripped the shuriken out of its head, black blood weeping pinkish material out of the hole. "Well, that's two dead!" She leaned towards Cloud's ear. "Thanks for lettin' me have the kill, Spike!" the ninja whispered happily.

 _'Her name was Stella...they were together...'_ It was a male and female, he knew that. Cloud didn't know it wasn't just an alliance of convenience for them. "Yeah...no problem." He hid is face as best he could, not wanting any questions from the rest of the group. Nanaki came up to him and cocked his head, but then went to walk with the others.

"Let him deal with clean up. I'll take us home."

The warrior walked over to the corpse of Stella, looking her over. She had finally stopped seizing, her body splayed with black blood, the pool about her slowly growing. His jaw tensed as he stared at her, damning his agreement with Yuffie to bring any of them tonight; if he had been alone just maybe he could have talked to them, helped them...

 _'I didn't care before. Before they were just...others. Irredeemable.'_ He walked towards her mate's corpse, looking at his dead face in the moonlight, his final actions burned into Cloud's mind. _'But I've killed more.'_ The warrior looked away, hesitantly putting down a marker Cait Sith had given him. "Could you have been saved from this miserable life?" He walked away, heading home.

* * *

The next day Cloud was withdrawn, still thinking about the fight last night. He talked little as he brooded, Tifa worried he was going to go back to old habits; he had told her in a quiet, forlorn voice about his feelings over the two, how the uttering of a name changed everything. His wife hugged him in bed, trying to comfort him as he thought it over in his mind.

Nanaki seemed to be the only other in the house who had picked up the name growled, understanding the difficulty it brought to the man.

"They were trying to kill us, and someone else, too." the beast mused, looking out the window of the office.

Cloud sighed. "If I hadn't agreed to bring those two at least...Maybe I could have..." The warrior rubbed his scalp as he stared at the photos on his desk.

"Don't beat yourself up over it. They still killed humans, they weren't innocent of wrong doing." He thought a moment before continuing. "They made a choice, too."

"I know."

By the afternoon Cloud had noticed Yuffie and Yuri were holding hands as they walked together, and he concluded Yuri's saving moves last night finally got them to talk. He supposed it brightened his mood fleetingly, thinking about their possible future. _'I have to distract myself with something...'_ Work on Fenrir, he decided. A tune up, and oil change...

"So, you doing anything tonight, Furball?"

Cloud looked up from his work under the bike. "Yeah, sleeping."

Yuffie huffed. "You're no fun."

"Well, what do you want me to do? Going out is dangerous." He returned to the bolt that was giving him trouble.

She shrugged. "I figured that maybe you still left the house instead of staying inside. Doesn't it bore your little wolf brain?"

"Yeah, but I gotta stay here so Tifa doesn't worry...and so there's no incidents again." He finally popped the bolt off, letting out a puff of breath in triumph. "Why, did you want to go out and play with me again?"

"I guess I wanna get a good picture of you in my head. The last time, you were just freakin' me out, and it was dark!" Yuffie looked up, thinking. "Yeah, I wanna examine you."

Cloud sat up, his lower lip slightly jutting out. "Why does everyone wanna see me like that?"

"You don't accidentally want my shuriken in your head, do ya?"

He winced, not wanting to think back to last night. Cloud turned away. "Just keep Yuri away." he said quietly before returning to Fenrir. "...I told you he liked you."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Later that night he situated himself in his office, sighing heavily before tapping a claw on the door to let Yuffie know he was ready for his examination. The ninja peeked in, then grinned as she let in Nanaki quietly. Cloud situated himself as far away from the door as possible, not wanting Yuri to possibly see him; he hoped Cait Sith could keep him distracted enough downstairs.

"Oooh, okay..." Yuffie held his arm. "You're a lot lankier than Valdt..." He playfully lifted the arm, and Yuffie with it. She snorted. "Still stronger, though!"

Nanaki looked up at him. "Can you talk like that one last night?"

Cloud shook his head as he let Yuffie down. She examined his face in the light, his eyes looking at her in an unconvincingly scathing gaze. The ninja went behind him, then put her arms around his neck causing him to huff in discomfort. _**'It hurts...'**_

The werewolf bent over, panting as he got on all fours from the ninja's hold. How many times did Nanaki complain about this? He looked pleadingly into the beast's eyes, who replied with a cringe. "Yuffie, maybe you should stop...That hold hurts."

"Well, at least it works on werewolves." She let the hold go and sat on his back, humming to herself as Cloud let out a groan and covered his head with his claws. "Bet he can move faster than you, Nanaki."

Nanaki snorted. "I doubt it. But, he can probably carry your weight a lot easier." Cloud peeked from his claws, his friend shyly grinning. He felt Yuffie shift on his back, the ninja stewing.

"Are you saying I'm fat?" Her body shook as Cloud's torso quivered up and down, and she flicked one of ears hard on the tip, getting a wince out of him. "Spiky headed jerk!" Yuffie slid off his side as he and Nanaki continued to snicker quietly to themselves. "Whatever, I'm done looking at you, Furball." She quietly closed the door as she left.

Cloud frowned. _**'She closed the door...'**_ he walked on all fours, keeping low to the ground, and brought his paw-like hand to the knob. Cloud understood his finger dexterity was terribly reduced by claws and the stubbier nature of his fingers, but his thumbs barely helped anymore; the claws on them were stubbier to keep them from causing difficulty while running, but they were also somewhat stiffer. Focusing, he twisted his palm and twisted, the door opening just a bit. Cloud let it go too soon and it shut again, making him grumble. Again he tried, holding his breath, and this time he pulled it back just enough to keep it open.

He slowly scraped his claws against the edge of the door, gingerly pulling it towards him and then peeking out into the hallway. The coast was clear, and he slunked out of his office, stopping to give a nod to Nanaki for a goodnight. The red beast returned it, and followed Cloud until he stopped in front of Zeph's room, nudging himself in. The werewolf continued until he reached his room, softly shutting the door.

Tifa was watching him in the darkness, moonlight pouring in through the slightly opened blinds. She had left her pillow on the floor for him again, and he walked towards it. He happily laid his head on the soft material, enjoying the flowery scent that perfumed it. Cloud felt a hand rubbing his head, and he looked up to Tifa, the woman giving him a half smile.

"Did you have fun with Yuffie and Nanaki?"

He shrugged, at the very least he got a laugh out of it.

She chuckled softly. "She's still a handful sometimes. That's Yuffie for you."

Cloud sighed, resting on the pillow. He closed his eyes as Tifa continued to pet his head, hoping for rest; his mind again flooded with thoughts of the fight and if he could have possibly done something differently, anything to stop the bloodshed.

"Cloud, are you okay?"

He looked up, Tifa frowning; he gave her a shrug.

"Are you still upset about last night?" she asked softly.

Cloud nodded slowly. He had told her what had happened that night in bed. He looked down again, snuggling back into the pillow.

"I see. Maybe there's a way to help some of them, Cloud. No giving up, remember?"

 _ **'No giving up...'**_ It still stuck with him through the night, until he fell into dreamless sleep.


	44. Twelve Candles

"Goin' tae the church, laddy?"

"Yeah. I'd like to clear my mind." The warrior said, heading for Sector Five. He hadn't been to this sector since that one night he thought perhaps the spring in the church could stop him from becoming the monster he had been reading so much about. It didn't work, and here he was; it wasn't as bad as he feared all those months ago.

 _'I should pay my respects, too...'_ Aerith should know he was okay. She probably already knew, considering that reassuring nod she had given him before disappearing out the door of the church. Taking a deep breath through his nose, Cloud made his way towards the church, a small prideful feeling in his chest as he imagined he was guarding the sacred place from monsters that ate the very children who had come here for healing. They still came, when a sufferer of Geostigma from some far away village might make a painful pilgrimage to take a dip in the curative waters.

Still, that night a week ago weighed heavily on him. Cloud had tried reasoning with the few werewolves he had met later on, but they either thought him crazy or a liar and attacked or attempted to run away if they knew who he was. The warrior couldn't let them go if they wouldn't take his offer, and it frustrated him; was there anyone worth saving?

The plate above was partially collapsed, leading to more daylight pouring through onto the scrap covered ground surrounding the very visible church. It was a familiar sight to the warrior, filled with memories and emotions and family; once in a while he would guide the sick to this place if they were becoming too weak after their long journey to Edge. It was the least he could do for a world he helped to almost ruin, even if he wasn't quite sane at the time.

"Going to visit her, Cloud?" The cat squeaked. He knew Cloud wasn't coming here just to clear his mind.

"Yeah, Reeve. I am."

Cait Sith nodded solemnly, holding his hands and twiddling his thumbs. "I suppose then, I too will pay my respects there." He was greeted to a hum of approval from his friend as he continued to walk.

Cloud looked about the familiar ruins, the man in a wistful mood as he drew nearer what he had considered _his_ place at one point. Part of him still did, not that he could help it; it was a very special place to him. Aerith, Zack...this was his place to talk to them, and sometimes, they would be there. Maybe they would be there today, Cloud thought to himself. As he came close to the entrance he noticed the door partially opened, the sound of whispers, and the smell of a werewolf that immediately set him on edge.

He looked down, trying to calm himself as he let out a feral growl. "There's one here..." Cloud said lowly, angrily; a young male... One of them wanted to desecrate _his_ dear friend's church? He wouldn't have it, he wouldn't have it all. "I'm gonna tear them apart..." He yanked the door completely open, looking about as he walked down the aisle; he eyed a child and a teen that looked at him with wide eyes, the little girl's hands noticeably shaking, the teen in the chilly pool. The girl was no older than eight, her long brown hair covering the shoulders of her yellow dress as her brown eyes watched him; the shivering teen was shirtless, his short brown hair wet and hanging below his brow and his blue eyes matching the spring.

Cloud's face softened despite the werewolf stench being strong in his nose, and he pushed it away at the moment, wanting to take care of the children first. He walked up to them with a gentle smile and a nod, then stopped in front of them and the pool. Clearing his throat, he spoke softly to them, trying to quell their fear. "Hey. I'm Cloud. Are you two alone?"

The girl who stood next to him nodded silently, her brows knotted together as if she had seen him somewhere before. The teenager who crouched in the spring just stared at the man, dipping deeper until his whole back was submerged despite his obvious discomfort from the cold. Cloud sniffed the air silently, narrowing his eyes as he looked about. "Maybe this is a silly question, but...have you two seen a werewolf around here?"

"N-no..." said the girl, unsure of his intentions. "Who are you?"

"Oh. I'm the Edge hunter, I kill werewolves." the warrior responded reassuringly. "I, uh, heard there was a werewolf nearby, so I came to kill it." He frowned, the scent of fear pouring out of the two even more now.

"No, there's no werewolves here...My brother and I came here to visit the pool, but we haven't seen anybody." The girl said nervously. She eyed the sword resting on Cloud's back, eyes wide.

Cloud's frown deepened. The smell of a werewolf and a lot of fear was thick in the air. Where was the beast, was it watching from somewhere? Were the youngsters afraid of him? Why? _'My face looks normal, right?'_ He took a step towards the pool and bent down, looking at his human face staring back at him from the blue waters. The warrior hummed to himself as the boy tried to avoid him; Cloud turned his head and noticed something in the reflection of the teen's back as he stretched his torso out of the water to climb out.

Gently grabbing the boy's shoulder he spun him around, his eyes widening as he saw several slowly healing claw marks on the young man's back; the teen stiffened as Cloud studied the wounds and took in the scent. "You're the werewolf, then..."

"Please don't kill me..." The teen pleaded to the hunter.

"I'm not gonna-" A small force toppled Cloud into the pool, surprising him; he twisted and looked up to see the teen scramble out in an attempt to make a mad dash for the church's exit. The swordsman up-righted himself and pushed against the bottom of the spring, launching himself out of the water and into the air with ease, twisting his body to land facing away from the door. He landed in front of the teenager who smashed into the warrior, falling to the wooden floor of the decrepit building with a thud. He kicked himself away from the hunter, who merely walked closer to him, his eyes mostly hidden under soaked bangs.

"Reggs! Run!" The little girl said.

Crouching down next to the teen, Cloud held his arm firmly to keep him from moving. "I'm not gonna kill you."

"B-but, I heard you kill every werewolf you find!" Reggs replied.

"I do. But..." Cloud flashed his sharp teeth at the child with a grin, his black sclera accentuating his cerulean eyes under his dripping bangs, the young man's eyes wider now than they had been. "I'll make an exception."

"Y-you're a werewolf?" The boy was shocked. "There were rumors..."

Cloud nodded, his features returning to normal. "It takes one to find one." He looked up, noticing the teen's sibling was approaching with a worried face. The warrior returned his now concerned gaze to Reggs. "How did this happen to you?"

The teen swallowed hard, Cloud helping him up and motioning towards a pew; he then sat next to him after taking his sword out of its sheath. He watched Cait Sith crawl out of the pool, drenched; he gave a half smile as the robot unclogged his sopping ears with a grumble.

"Last week I lost my way home in the dark, I was looking for some scrap for a...project, and I lost track of time." The teen sighed before continuing, steadying his nerves. "Anyway, after a while I felt like I was being followed, and I tried to run away, somewhere out of the dark. Then I felt something scratch through my shirt, and I was pretty sure I was gonna die then and there when I saw a werewolf in front of me." He cocked his head, thinking back to the memory. "The funny thing was, it didn't follow me afterwards, and the other ran off, too. They could have killed me." Reggs looked at the warrior, who stayed silent as he listened to the teen. Suddenly, that night Cloud's party killed those two werewolves became so much more.

Cloud sighed heavily. "I'm sorry this happened to you." This was unfair, especially for someone who wasn't an adult yet. "I guess you've noticed some of the changes already."

The young man groaned, his sister giving him a tight side hug. "Yeah, I have...What are all the things that are gonna happen to me?"

"Well..." The warrior put his elbows on his knees, staring at the Buster Sword across the pond. "You probably already noticed this, but you stop wanting sweet food, and meat tastes really good. Then, you can't take really strong smells, and silver can hurt you really bad." He looked back at the teen. "Your senses get really strong, though."

"I couldn't finish my oatmeal this morning. It tasted like hot paper mush." Reggs made a face, Cloud laughing.

"Yeah. It's pretty gross." The warrior fished around in his side pocket, and offered the teen some of his jerky. Reggs happily took the package and tore it open, ravenously hungry.

"...Will it hurt?" Reggs inquired after a few minutes, unsure what werewolves go through.

"Yeah. It's gonna hurt, a lot. It stops hurting after a few transformations, though. I can do it without pain now, but you're gonna have to be strong that first time." Cloud felt the boy shuddering next to him, and he put a hand on his shoulder. After letting Reggs soak in his new reality, he continued. "I guess you thought the water here could heal you."

"It was my idea, but I guess it didn't work." said the girl sadly.

Cloud let out a small laugh. "I tried that, too." He looked over at the girl, giving her a frown. "Do you have parents?" The girl nodded in response. "Do they know about this?"

"No, we're too scared to tell them."

That made sense. Try to solve the problem before the adults find out. How many times have Marlene and Denzel tried that? "I'm taking you back to your parents, I'll explain what happened. Reggs needs your support to get through this and stay himself."

They both fidgeted on the pew, terrified at confronting their parents. "What if they don't want me anymore..." the teen said, looking down.

"I'll figure something out." Cloud looked over at Cait Sith, the animatronic holding a thoughtful look on its furry face as it stood in front of the group. The warrior stood up, and Reggs collected his clothing, shivering after recovering from his shock.

Leaving the church, Cloud texted Tifa, telling her the situation and that he might be home a little later than he expected; he replaced his phone and held the girl's hand, walking them back towards Edge. "You never told me your name..." the warrior said, looking down at the girl. She looked up at him blinking, then looked forward.

"Sophia."

"Sophia..." He repeated, remembering the name. "If you've been gone all day, your parents are gonna be worried sick."

Reggs spoke up. "We left in the morning, after breakfast. She's the only one that I told..."

"I see." Cloud hummed a bit as they finally left the plate's shade, and he took a final look back at the church, a figure in pink and a taller one in indigo waving at him before disappearing. He let a smile form on his face; Aerith brought them here, he knew it. _'I'll try to save him, Aerith.'_

They asked him questions as he walked them home, Cait Sith patiently listening to the conversation as they traveled. Why aren't you mean? Why do you hunt werewolves? Have you been one for long? Cloud answered them all patiently, trying to sate their curiosity.

"Looks like you guys live kinda close to me..." They were in the plaza now, the teenager pointing him towards a street he was familiar with from his delivery service. Cloud trudged on, the afternoon sunlight warming his exposed arm and neck. "Do you go to school?"

Reggs looked down. "Yeah. Will I be able to go to school, still?"

"I don't see why not."

Sophia pointed towards a house. "That's our home..."

Cloud gave her hand a little squeeze, trying to reassure her. He walked closer, smelling fear from the door; one or both of the parents must be home and fretting. Knocking on the door he heard quick footsteps before the door pulled open, a woman with brown hair and eyes looking hopefully back into the warrior's intense stare. She looked down and gasped, crouching down to hug Sophia as she charged into her arms; the mother picked up the girl and then hugged her son. After a few tearful moments and assurances that they weren't hurt, the mother looked over at the spiky haired man who brought her children home.

She nodded at him, opening the door for him to come in, and after a moment he entered; it was a nice home with lovely potted plants in the window sills and a comfortable looking couch on the far wall of the living room. Looking about he noticed a brightly lit kitchen beyond a doorway that lead to what Cloud assumed was a hallway. The woman put Sophia down who stood by her mother, clinging to the back of her dark blue skirt as the teen stood further away and looked between the two adults.

"Thank you so much for finding my children, Mister..."

The swordsman waved a hand. "Cloud, just Cloud."

The woman nodded, smiling. "I'm Elly, Cloud. My husband has been out looking for them since lunch." She looked at them, then up at Cloud. "Where were they?"

"The Sector Five church."

The mother looked back down at Sophia. "What were you two doing down there?" The child fumbled with her words, and Reggs looked away as his mother looked up at him.

Cloud interrupted with a cough, Elly looking back at him. "Elly, I'll explain what happened." He motioned towards the couch. "You should probably sit down." She gave him a curious look, but complied with the request from the stranger. He stood, not wanting to remove his sword again, and Cait Sith sat still upon his back, seemingly still listening to the conversations; Cloud wondered if Reeve was mulling over something in regards to the teen.

"I'm the Edge hunter. I kill werewolves in and around the city." The mother's eyes lit up, finally having a face for the mysterious person talked about by civilians and WRO personnel. Cloud continued. "I was checking the church when I noticed your kids were there. Reggs was in the pool..." He motioned towards the teen to come forward, the young man meekly doing so. "...and it seems he had a run in with a werewolf last week. I'm sorry."

Elly looked back and forth between the two, her mouth open a little. "...Sorry?" Her son was alive, what was the apology for?

Cloud softly turned the teen around and lifted his shirt, showing the marks marring his light skinned back. Elly gasped loudly, scrambling for her son and holding him tightly. "This can't be..." She looked nervously up at the hunter, who merely gave a sympathetic look. "You aren't going to..."

He shook his head softly. "No, I'm not." Cloud felt relieved that the teen's mother was protective of him, though he wasn't sure of the father yet. "I want to help him."

"How? Won't he..." Elly held the teen tighter, sniffling. "Why did you have to slip out of the house so late in the evening..."

"He doesn't have to be like the ones I'm hunting."

The concerned mother looked over at Cloud after loosening her grip on her son. "But won't he try and...eat people?"

Cloud shrugged. "The first Full Moon he will, but once he gets in control Reggs should be fine."

"The first Full Moon...? Where could he go..."

"I can watch over him during it." the warrior offered.

She frowned. "But you're the hunter, wouldn't you end up killing him?"

"I promise, he'll be safe with me."

"...As long as he's safe..." Elly sucked in a breath, then exhaled forcefully. "Your father isn't going to be happy about this..."

Sophia looked up at her mother. "He isn't gonna kick Reggs out, is he?"

"I don't think he would do that...if Reggs stays the same, why would he?" The mother looked anxiously towards the door, then at the wall phone. "I better call him up."

The teen groaned nervously and Cait Sith hopped off Cloud's back. "Hey, Cloud. I'll talk to the family, this obviously isn't your area of expertise."

Cloud snorted. "Oh yeah? I guess you're right."

The cat nodded, grinning. "If you want to go back to Seventh Heaven, I'll try and fix this situation."

"Alright." he thought a moment, looking at the nervous teen and then back to Cait Sith. "If it doesn't end well, just take him to the bar." Cloud looked over at the two siblings and gave them a nod. "I guess I'll be going now. Don't worry, I live close by."

Cait Sith returned before the bar closed, regaling his tale of speaking to the family's patriarch. To say he was unhappy was apparently an understatement; it took all of Reeve's guile to stop him from shooing the wayward teen out of the house immediately.

"Talking with a cat didn't help the matter at all, but he eventually understood who he was talking to."

"How did you do that?" Tifa asked.

Cait Sith grinned. "I had your favorite peacekeepers show up to keep things from getting violent."

Reggs had been troublesome for a while now it seems, his rebellious phase getting on his father's last, exasperated nerve, and this was almost the last straw. That is, if Reeve hadn't intervened. He gave an offer to the family and the teen; he could move into the WRO building and eventually work for them while being under Cloud's watchful eye. Reggs' mother and Sophia fretted while his father found it reasonable, hoping that the regiment kept his son on a straight and narrow that wouldn't ruin the family's reputation.

"...I have three kids to watch already." Cloud dead panned.

Cait Sith waved his hands. "I'm not saying you have to be with him all the time. Reggs would still have schoolwork as well as being guided by you. If we can employ him down the road, he'd possibly make a great scout for rescue work."

Cloud raised a brow. "Is this why you were so quiet this afternoon? Thinking of what to do with him?"

The cat shrugged. "I don't mind the WRO giving him a special purpose in life."

Tifa spoke up. "So what did he choose to do?"

"He wants to sleep on it. I'm adverse to children working in the WRO anymore, as Denzel knows, but Reggs is sixteen and frankly, he probably needs this intervention."

* * *

Within a couple of days Reeve personally met with the teen at his home, having business already within the city. Reggs decided to take the opportunity, guaranteed he would still be able to visit his family and go to school. Reeve visited Seventh Heaven afterwards, and talked about arrangements with Cloud.

"It's been too long since we've talked face to face, hasn't it?" Reeve mused as he sipped his tea.

Cloud and Tifa both chuckled. "Yeah, but it's been a busy year." The woman replied.

The WRO president nodded. "You know, Yuffie is getting a bit antsy about your wedding party. If you don't make a move soon, she will."

Cloud sighed, grinning. "But will you be able to make it, Reeve?"

"If you give me a date far enough in the future."

Cloud rubbed his chin, thinking. "Denzel's birthday, Christmas, New Years...How about January?" Their friend nodded and they set up a specific date.

"So...How's my father doing?" Cloud asked tentatively.

Reeve chuckled. "He can be a bit grumpy sometimes, especially when Barret snoops on him. No incidents yet...he's trying."

The warrior raised a brow. "What did you do with him on the Full Moon? He's probably itchin' to get out of the city..."

"We let him out for the night, actually. A test of trust...looked like it did him a world of good to get out. Thought he might snap if he spent the night in Junon."

Cloud shook his head. "Yeah. I'm used to the city and hunting in it, but he probably needs the wilderness more than I do." He paused, lost in thought, then excused himself and went upstairs, Tifa continuing the conversation.

"I'm still not sold on him, to tell you the truth."

Reeve shrugged. "One day at a time, Tifa. Sometimes he seems on edge, sometimes he seems a bit more...normal."

She nodded, her jaw tense. Cloud came down the stairs and quietly handed an envelope to Reeve. "Give this to him, please."

"Sure."

"And Reeve..." Cloud looked into his friend's eyes, a serious look on his face. "Have you found anything else out about that scientist that escaped?"

Reeve sighed warily. "Not yet. He was one of the lead scientists, so it may take us a while to find his hiding spot." he said quietly. Cloud nodded grimly; he knew his friend would tell him immediately where the fool was hiding.

Before leaving he handed the couple a gift for Denzel's upcoming birthday, then gave some parting words; he was off to meet Ichi and Merle at the WRO building.

"What did you write?" Tifa asked, looking into Cloud's eyes.

He looked down towards the counter. "...I told him to not give up, and that I'm glad he's doing his best." Cloud looked up and blushed, Tifa still listening. "...I maybe slipped a family photo in so he has something for his room."

"Cloud!"

* * *

The next Saturday the warrior walked towards the WRO building, the twilight bringing a bright star to twinkle overhead here and there. He entered and looked for the room Reggs was being kept in; it was on the second floor. As he meandered through the front lobby he could hear the murmured rumors swirling about the room, people wondering if the WRO was actually employing werewolves now and if it was a good idea. Cloud tried to ignore the gossip as he took the stairs and traveled down a hallway, finding the teen's new room. He was somewhat familiar with this part of the building, Shelke having taken up a room here in the past as she found her place within the organization; it housed orphan recruits who joined before Reeve refused any more children.

It was lightly furbished with his possessions, a standard bed and a desk that seemed to be covered with papers and books; Cloud assumed it was his homework. A nightstand stood next to the teen's bed, a clock, phone and picture upon it, and a half open closet was to the side of it. Reggs was standing by his bed with a nervous expression on his face, obviously seeing his guide a reminder of what was to happen to him soon.

"Evening..." Reggs mumbled.

Cloud nodded back his greeting. "So, we've got a little more than two weeks before the Full Moon, and I only have you for a few hours on weekends." He walked further into the room, shutting the sliding door with the press of a button. "I guess I'll start talking about your senses. You probably noticed you can hear and smell things a lot better than you used to. The darkness isn't so dark, either." It hadn't been for Cloud in years, but the teen didn't have to know that.

Reggs nodded. "I could hear my parents arguing in their bedroom over me that night."

Cloud shrugged. "They're gonna be worried about you."

"I don't think my dad is."

"He probably is, but he's angry." The warrior paused. "You should be able to smell his emotions."

Reggs sat on his bed. "Smell emotions...?"

"Yeah. Like right now, you're kinda fearful. That's one of the easiest scents to pick up. Your mother, when she thought I was going to kill you, that was fear." He raised a brow. "Do you remember the smell?"

The teen slowly nodded. "That was fear?"

"Yep. Get used to that smell." He turned to sit on the chair at the teen's desk, then moved closer.

"Get used to it...? Why?"

Cloud sighed. "If anyone finds out about your secret, they probably aren't going to be very happy. They're probably going to think you want to eat them...Isn't that what you thought, too?"

Reggs didn't answer, he only looked down at his feet.

"Anyway, you'll eventually figure out what smell is what emotion. It brings it to mind, kinda. You can also smell other werewolves, but a strange werewolf is going to bring out aggression, especially if they're in what you consider your territory." He leaned into the seat, rubbing his chin in thought.

"...My territory?"

Cloud nodded. "It sounds kind of strange right now, but...after your first transformation, you'll probably understand."

Reggs sighed heavily, still looking at his feet. Cloud observed him, still leaning casually in the chair. "This feels like a punishment."

The warrior shrugged. "It's not."

Reggs looked up. "I can't even eat most of the food I used to enjoy. If I get stabbed with silver, I'll probably die. If someone finds out about my secret, they'll probably run away." He turned his head away. "...I shouldn't have left home that night. It's making lunch awkward at school, my friends noticed I'm not touching anything but the meat on my tray." The teen rubbed the back of his head.

The swordsman nodded, understanding. "Try sandwiches, the bread doesn't taste like much but it's easier to get down than oatmeal or fruits. Coffee and tea still taste about the same." He thought a moment. "It's easier to get things down if there's meat with it."

"...Am I gonna have to eat raw meat?" the teen asked fearfully.

"You won't have to, but you'll want it."

Reggs grimaced. "It just sounds gross."

The warrior shrugged. "Not for long."

The teen sighed. "This is heavy..." he whimpered.

Cloud snorted. "I know you're probably on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but...you're in a better position than I was. Anyway, let's take a walk around the building, and you'll be able to learn how to differentiate smells."

They spent the next couple of hours walking through the halls of the building, Cloud revealing what scent was what, and how to track a trail. Reggs ended up following the trail of one of the newer female recruits, accidentally scaring her as he focused on his nose, both werewolves reddening from embarrassment. He promised to come by again tomorrow, but told him there was only so much he could do for him until after the next Full Moon.

"That's when you're really going to have to be careful."

Reggs frowned. "Why?"

"If you lose your temper you might need to buy new clothing..." Cloud said, the teen paling.

* * *

Denzel munched on his sandwich quietly, watching the comings and goings of the cafeteria. Natsumi sat next to him, speaking to Rosa about the local school gossip. His day had been going well, and he had been assisting Zeph during their science class. It was the end of the week, and his birthday.

"That older girl is still saying a werewolf tried to kidnap her last month."

Rosa shook her head as she sipped her soda. "How come she's still alive, then?"

"I don't know. She said it was the Edge hunter!" The girl thought a bit, unsure who it even was.

Vits snorted. "That's Cloud, though." Natsumi raised her brows at the news.

Denzel almost choked on his sandwich. "What a stupid story." Zeph nodded in concurrence.

"I dunno. Cloud's kinda weird." Vits stated casually.

"I think we'd know if he's a werewolf, Vits." Zeph said.

Natsumi shrugged. "Maybe he's hiding it really well."

Marlene frowned as Denzel scoffed. _'He's terrible at hiding anything...'_

Rosa rolled her eyes. "I think Zeph or I would know if he was a werewolf."

"Yeah, and he has that silver ear stud, too." Marlene lied. Vits and Natsumi didn't look convinced. "He's home on Full Moons, too."

Vits shrugged. "I dunno." The boy quieted down, finishing his food as if the conversation had never happened.

The group finished their lunch quietly and then made their way towards the playground, Natsumi whispering into Denzel's ear. "Do you think the other rumor is fake, too?"

"...What other rumor?"

"A boy said a werewolf killed a bunch of kidnappers and brought him to a peacekeeper." she said quietly.

Denzel stiffened. "D'you believe it?" Cloud needs to be careful...

She looked up, humming as they crossed the threshold. "I'm not sure. Maybe, it's just rumors. But..." Natsumi giggled, looking at Denzel. "I guess it's silly. A werewolf saving people."

He blushed, but couldn't help but grin. "Maybe they aren't all so bad."

"Maybe!"

They went towards their usual spot by the monkey bars, Marlene joining her classmates near the slide after waving goodbye to Denzel and Zeph. Vits was sitting on the top of the bars, taking notes in a small book as Rosa swung her arm towards the next bar. Marlene met her classmates, showing off the dragon scale bracelet Cloud and Tifa had fashioned for her, the thickest part of the shimmering scales turned into polished beads of emerald. Cloud had them made, and Tifa helped her put it together.

"That looks really nice with your pink dress!" one piped up.

Marlene beamed. "Thanks! My brothers got fangs, did you see them?"

"They wear them almost everyday!" It was true, they had them dangling from Penny's necklaces.

The girl looked around. "Where's Sophia?"

Another friend pointed towards the far wall. "She's talkin' with her brother. She said he moved out of the house, but wouldn't say where he went or why!"

Marlene squinted her eyes and looked; after a moment she found her friend, the girl wearing an orange sweater to keep the chill off of her. A tall teenage boy was talking to her as she held his hand. Marlene turned back to her other friend. "Oh, well I guess she'll tell us when she's ready."

The three played with some hoola hoops until Sophia returned, the girl quieter than usual. "Hey, Sophia! Are you alright?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah."

"How's your brother doing?" the other girl asked.

Sophia blushed and blinked rapidly, then looked away. "He's fine."

Marlene cocked her head. "Where does he live now?"

Before the girl could answer the bell rang, and they prepared to go back to class. They funneled in, bumping into Denzel and the others again. He looked down at Marlene and gave her a small smile before disappearing into the busy hall. Sighing, Denzel made his way to his next class, hoping Cloud was a little more careful in the future.

The rest of the school day was uneventful, the group leaving the school and chattering and watching others as they went by. Marlene watched her friend Sophia as she was guided home by her brother, something they had always done in the past but she felt a gravity to it that wasn't there before. She glanced up, Sophia's brother looking at her curiously; Marlene averted her gaze to Scott Aldive, the teen watching both groups intently.

"Marlene?" It was Denzel.

She turned around. "Hm?"

"Are you okay? You're frowning."

Marlene nodded. "Yeah. Hey, we better get back home! Cloud and Tifa told us to bring your friends to the bar."

The boy chuckled. "I think the gang's all here." Denzel was a quiet boy that didn't speak much to others in school, usually hanging out with Vits and Natsumi. Now, he had Rosa and Zeph, too. He was very much a quality over quantity kind of child when it came to friends, much like his hero. "Is there anyone you wanna invite?" he asked.

The girl hummed, looking about with a finger to her lips. She looked at Sophia, the girl still looking down. She walked to her side, Sophia looking towards her as she approached. "Hey, my brother's birthday is today. Do you want to join? You've never been to our place yet."

Sophia gave her a sad smile and shook her head. "No, thank you. I was gonna spend some time with my brother this afternoon..."

Marlene shrugged. "Maybe he can come, too?" She looked up at the tall teen, he was biting his lip and had a confused expression on his face.

"Um, thanks, but I'm not a fan of cake..." he said nervously.

"Oh, that's too bad. Is it true, when you get older you stop craving sweets?" Marlene asked innocently.

"...Yeah."

"Hm, sorry." She looked back at Sophia. "Well, I'll see you two later, maybe I'll come visit tomorrow!"

Sophia smiled and nodded. "That'd be great!"

Marlene rejoined her group, and soon found themselves at the bar after their walk. Denzel excitedly opened the door to the bar, the room decorated with blue balloons while Cloud, Tifa and Barret waved from the counter; someone(presumably Barret) had brought noise makers and party hats, the silly cones worn by the adults.

"Happy birthday, Denzel!"

"Thanks!" The boy sat himself down followed by the other children, Cloud and Barret bringing over pizzas from the child's favorite pizza shop.

"Pepperoni, right?" Cloud asked with a smile. Denzel nodded, taking a slice. Once the children were given their pizza the two adults returned to the counter, the warrior showing a rare display of silliness by blowing a noise maker at Barret as he tried to eat his pizza, whipping the paper on his friend's ear and causing him to curse and wave his hand.

Cloud grinned, then looked back at Tifa as she put the finishing touches on the birthday cake. She had started to put on a little weight, and her chest had been growing slightly, much to his surprise. He hoped it wasn't hurting her at all, considering she was already large chested as it was. Tifa caught him staring at her, then she winked at him, causing him to blush. He didn't understand pregnant women, he decided.

They had been toying with names for the last few weeks, Cloud insisting on Zack if the baby was a boy despite Tifa thinking Glenn a suitable name. They weren't sure about girl names yet, though both thought a flowery name would be nice. After all, they agreed, flowers were pleasant little things that lightened up the post-apocalyptic world. More than that, they were symbolic of many things to the couple.

Tifa pressed in twelve birthday candles into the white icing of the cake; it was Denzel's favorite, spice cake. He said his mother had made him one on his last birthday before the Sector Seven plate collapse, and ever since then he had always requested that flavor on his birthdays. It reminded him of his old family and his new one, two different worlds.

As the children finished their food Tifa brought out the cake, the candles glowing atop like a crown of light. Barret was singing loudly, Cloud humming along softly as the children and Tifa sang with Marlene's father. The warrior came over to lean over Denzel's shoulder as he blew out the candles, the boy smiling at both he and Tifa afterwards. The woman divided the cake, giving out slices to the children and then for she and Barret.

"Aren't you gonna have some, Cloud?" Vits asked between a mouthful.

He shook his head. "Not much for sweets, sorry."

After the children were finished with their cake, several presents were given to him to unwrap. Reeve's gift was a book on monster poisons and toxins and how they are countered, something he was deeply interested in. Next was a gift from Yuffie, who had left the small package after the couple had given her an early birthday gift; Cloud's jaw dropped and Tifa's eyes widened as the boy squealed a "Cool!"

A lump of gently glowing purple materia sat in his hand. "...Long range." he mumbled. Denzel looked over the orb, and then the small note attached to the box. "This materia is pretty rare, so take care of it! P.S. Don't bring it to school."

Cloud groaned. "She gave you materia."

Tifa tsked, looking over the orb and the note. "You better keep it in your room, you don't want it to get lost or stolen."

Denzel cocked his head. "I don't even know how to use it."

Cloud cleared his throat. "Well, it goes in your weapon so your attacks hit at range, and-"

"Cloud, he shouldn't know how to use it yet!" The woman hissed. She looked back down at Denzel. "It still takes a strong mind to use it."

The child was still grinning. "It's still cool she got this for me."

"Probably stole it..." Barret mumbled under his breath. Cloud caught it, and gave a nod. He needed to check his materia stash after this...

Barret's gift was a new, bigger jacket of a gray color with multiple pockets of varying sizes; it was loose on him but the large man insisted he would grow into it quickly. Cloud and Tifa believed it, they were certain he was going to be tall when he finally reached adulthood. He already reached Cloud's chest, and the warrior was certain he'd surpass his height by his mid-teens.

Marlene and Zeph gave him a bracelet they both worked on in secret, the children using leftover dragon beads and hemp rope to weave the piece. Denzel immediately put it on, and thanked them for it.

Vits handed him one of his treasures he found when he used to roam the slums before moving into the neighborhood, a shiny crystal. Rosa gifted him some finger-less gloves, saying she bought some for herself; they helped keep her hands from slipping on the pole of her spear and thought he could use them for his rod. He happily agreed.

Natsumi blushed. "Um, I left your gift at my house...would you like to come over later?"

"Sure!"

The children eventually left after a couple of hours, enjoying some board games with the adults, Barret damning his luck as Cloud beat him, then Rosa overtaking Cloud and Zeph.

"It's kinda dark out...I'm gonna take Rosa home." Cloud said, looking out the dark window. He offered his hand to the girl, and she was surprised he was leading her towards the garage and not the front door.

"Um, we're going through the alley?"

Cloud grinned at her as he entered the dark room. "Did you forget I have a bike?" he turned on the light, and walked towards Fenrir. The warrior gently placed the girl on the back of the seat and opened the garage door, then sat down and turned on the bike. "Hold on to me."

Rosa did so, and soon felt the bike reversing and the chilly night air on her exposed cheek, and then the exhilarating sensation of acceleration. She had never been on a motorcycle before, and found she enjoyed it. "You used to be a courier with this?"

He looked back a moment. "Yeah. Usually, I'd visit Fort Condor to Kalm, but sometimes I had to go to places that were further away." he shouted over the noise of the engine.

They took a turn towards her neighborhood. "How far?"

"Once had to travel to Wutai right after they fixed up their port. I've been everywhere on the Planet, though."

She frowned as he slowed down, reading the house numbers. "Everywhere? What about Icicle Inn?"

"...I've been further north than that." he said as he parked Fenrir.

Rosa thought a moment, to her geography lessons. "There's no one past Icicle Inn, just the Great Glacier and the Northern Crater."

Cloud looked at her with his dimly glowing eyes after he dismounted. "I know." His voice was quiet.

The girl got off with his help, and she cocked her head. "Why did you go out there?"

He gave her a sad smile. "...I had business there. It was before my delivery service, so I haven't been there since." Cloud added.

"Oh. Was it before Meteorfall?" She was unsure when that started.

Cloud didn't answer. He knocked on the door, Merle answering a few moments later. He gave a thankful nod for returning his niece at a proper hour, the girl ducking inside after giving her thanks and farewell.

"You know, Cloud..." Merle started.

Cloud looked up at him. "Hm?"

"I think Rosa spending time with your lot has been good for her. Hell, she's teaching me what Tifa taught her in cooking."

The warrior smiled and nodded. "Good. Tifa's always been a good cook." He cocked his head. "Reeve said he talked to you and Ichi..."

Merle nodded. "Yeah. He personally promoted us for our little emergency operation. So, we're both a little higher on the chain of command now. Didn't see that one coming..." He looked down, then back up, his face sterner. "That boy..."

Cloud waved his hands. "I'm gonna do my best to help him out. Last thing he needs to deal with are more regrets..."

"You think he can make it?"

The warrior shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "That's up to him. Just...try to be supportive if you have to work with him."

The peacekeeper rolled his eyes. "I'm not that much of a dick."

Cloud snickered. "That's a side I haven't seen yet." Merle scowled, the swordsman beginning to chuckle. "It's getting cold out. Have a good night."

He made his way back home just in time to see Denzel walking stunned through the front door with a red face, the warrior walking towards the counter to meet the child. He was holding his other necklace, the one with the Fenrir ring Cloud had gifted him some years ago.

"Hey, Denzel. Everything okay...?" Was he afraid of something? _'That's not fear. What...?'_ Cloud cocked his head, the boy silent still, cupping the ring that hung on his neck above the clawed and toothed necklace that seemed to collect monster parts.

"...Natsumi gave me my present."

Cloud raised a brow. "What did she give you?"

The child opened his palm, a silver ring with a moogle motif sitting next to Fenrir.

* * *

I had been thinking about this approach for a while now. I think now was a good time to use it.


	45. Babysitting

Stella kind of just came out, I wasn't really thinking about that at all. I guess the other werewolf could be Noctis if you wish, or Dudley. Dudley the werewolf...You can speculate, eh? I want to wrap the year up by Chapter 50 and have an epilogue if I can; and maybe use this as a background for another story later down the road that's maybe 3-6 years in the future. After all, it's good to have a background for OC in my opinion, and a base for crazy stuff like this...and I kinda like writing this story. Thanks all for reading this far, and Happy Thanksgiving to...well, everyone, including the internationals.

* * *

Reggs bit into his roll, trying to ignore the yeasty taste the bread had now. He figured it wasn't that terribly bad, especially compared to sweet things, and he might get used to it even. His friends had stopped poking fun of his eating habits as he learned to cover his tracks. Eat normal food in front of others as best you can, eat some jerky if your cravings get to be too much.

The horrible nightmares that plagued him were finally leaving him alone, much to his relief. They had woken him in a cold sweat several times a week, and he was certain there were some he didn't remember; Reggs was glad many were forgotten. Dreams of forests and grasslands in the moonlight, nightmares of him chasing everyone he loved. The teen hated those nightmares and the guilt associated with them.

The claw marks were almost gone from his back, and they had been difficult to hide when he had to change in the locker room; Reggs had wrapped it up initially and said it was an injury from his scrap scavenging. But that wasn't all he was dealing with; his senses had been getting much better, just like Cloud said they would.

His nose was his greatest asset and biggest source of trouble. Getting a picture of someone's mood was a good way to help guide a conversation, but he avoided the clubs at night because of the copious amount of spray they used to keep predators out. Not that he had the urge to go since moving into the WRO building, especially since there was a curfew for him between 9pm and 5am. Still, it stifled his social life somewhat, but he figured that was his fault. Not that he wasn't prone to brooding over his loss of freedom because of some stupid werewolves that didn't have the attention span to finish him off.

 _'Straight and narrow...'_ Reggs left the table, saying goodbye to his friends. Since he was in a higher grade he didn't have to go to the playground, but it was where he could talk to his little sister at length during the weekdays. He had always had a soft spot for his sister, guarding her from older bullies, like Scott Aldive. Well, until his parents intervened as they always did, a precaution to protect their influence in the city he supposed. He still wasn't sure if the guy was put on a short leash or not at home, but he was certainly arrogant enough despite not being the biggest fish in the pond. Reggs certainly had felt that his own parents were doing that to him for the last year, as he tried to form some modicum of independence.

And that got him into some real trouble.

The teen wasn't sure how well he would cope afterward. Tonight was the night Cloud would stay with him, and he really didn't want to think about it right now despite it flooding his mind every chance it got. People weren't supposed to turn into monsters, and now all of a sudden he would. Would he be the same? Reggs figured if he wasn't the same now, he would be less so tomorrow. At least, he thought, his situation wasn't hopeless any more, now that there were select people supporting him. _'If Sophia hadn't had that idea, I'm really not sure what I would do.'_

"Reggs!" Sophia waved him down from her usual meeting place. The tall teen came up to meet her, then sat down on a bench with his sister in a lonesome corner of the playground. He looked down at Sophia, the girl matching his anxious face as a little yellow knit cap made her hair cling to the sides of her cheeks.

"You look scared, Sophia." He gave her a wry grin.

She smiled and looked down. "So do you."

"Maybe." He let out a heavy sigh. "Tonight, Cloud's gonna watch me."

Sophia put a hand on his and patted it as she looked up. "He'll take care of you..."

He nodded. "Still..." Reggs turned away. "I kind of wish I'd die so I didn't have to live through tonight."

The girl frowned at his dramatics. "I don't wanna see you dead. Cloud said you'd be okay."

"He also said it's going to hurt a lot." Reggs knew he was a warrior, and if someone who deals with violence says something will hurt a lot, it must be terrible. The teen felt he was the exact opposite of a warrior, too soft for fights outside of fisticuffs.

Sophia leaned on his arm. "He also said it'll get better, remember? You can do it, Reggs."

He hummed a reply, staring out into the playground. Was it worse than Geostigma? She had it once, and he remembered the faces she'd make during a fever or whenever she had shooting pains in her sore covered legs. Reggs and his mother would care for her as their father tried to acquire medicine from the WRO, and one day a female stranger on the phone told them to go to the church. After their mother had left to go check on some of her friends after the dragon attack and the strange darkness that overtook Midgar, Reggs defiantly piggybacked Sophia all the way to Sector Five. He'd never forget the look on her face as the waters cleared away her illness; she'd live after all, her legs finally able to carry her without pain.

That was now three years ago. She was nine now, though she was a little short for her age, and he was sixteen and still growing despite his already tall stature. Tall and lanky, he had trouble putting on muscle mass still; his father had said he'd been the same way in his youth. "So, Sophia...you said you were gonna have that girl sleep over on the weekend?"

His sister smiled. "Yeah! Marlene said she wants peace and quiet away from her brothers." she giggled. Sophia had been pushed up a grade and made it into Marlene's class this year. Shy at first, the friendly girl finally got her to open up a little bit.

"She lives nearby?"

Sophia nodded. "A few streets away. She lives with her mom and said she's got two dads. I don't know how, though." She laughed a little at the thought. They hadn't been friends for that long, but they'd been opening up slowly. "So, how about your crush?" Sophia asked while casually kicking the air and grinning.

Reggs blushed. "D-does it matter anymore?!"

"I guess, you really like her, don't you?"

He sighed. "It's not like I'm gonna ask her out. Not now."

After a little while he insisted she play with her friends a bit, remembering that Marlene was the girl with that familiar smell...Reggs was still unsure what it meant; he was still trying to figure out how to differentiate scents, and the girl had one lightly clinging to her that he couldn't quite place his finger on. He continued his school day as usual, watching the clock tick by a silent countdown. When the day was finally done, he found his sister waiting for him outside and they slowly walked home.

He savored the crisp air as if it were his last day on Gaia. All the scents mingling together never overpowered the smell of dead leaves from the park as the breeze blew by, or the odd scents of a chilly city that he had grown used to since they moved from the Sector Five plate to Edge. Reggs was quiet, occasionally humming an answer to a question. He had to go home and prepare for tonight, to give his last good byes and collect some scant clothing as Cloud told him to do. Reggs opened the door to his family's home, and sighed as he entered.

* * *

Cloud waited on the sofa provided in the room they would be using tonight, his boots and socks already removed. There was less than an hour before the both of them would be forced to change, and he lazily leaned an elbow on the armrest as he texted on his phone; he wasn't worried unless it came dangerously close to the time.

He knew Reggs was probably finishing up any last minute preparations in his room, and the warrior himself had done some as well; the room they were in was a relatively large waiting room on the far side of the building, two red sofas facing each other with a coffee table in between, and a small fridge nearby that would usually hold drinks for visitors. Tonight, it held a tray with containers of raw meat for the morning as well as a few water bottles, one of which Cloud sipped from. Werewolves doing nothing means pent up instincts, and a new one would need something to calm them down until they had better control. He could trust himself those shaky first weeks, but he wouldn't take a chance with Reggs.

After a few minutes Reggs came through the open door, his eyes and scent betraying his terror. Cloud nodded at him, looking over his bundle of clothing. "Evening."

"E-evening." The teen sat on the other couch, looking about here and there, his breathing a little fast.

The warrior let him calm down a little. "It'll only take about a minute the first time." He put his phone away and got up to make sure the door was locked. "I guess it feels longer than that, but it'll get faster as you ease into it."

"How long does it take you?"

Cloud shrugged. "Maybe five seconds or so?" Unless he was holding it in, then it seemed to hiccup a little at the start.

Reggs nodded quietly. "How much longer until...?"

The swordsman looked at his phone again. "Less than half an hour. It happens at roughly the same time, every Full Moon." Cloud looked back up. "You might start feeling a little warm soon." He tapped a final message on his phone, praying Tifa would be safe without him tonight and her replying that she can take care of herself if he didn't remember. _'Maybe I checked one too many times...'_ Her bump was just barely visible and her body seemed to one day make her active, and another she could barely handle the bar. Cloud's bar-tending abilities were getting better, at least; he still wasn't going to try and cook for patrons though.

It didn't help his mind any when he caught her eating cottage cheese and pickles, and then some of the chocolate he'd pick up for her once in a while. The smell of that combination made him slightly ill, even now from remembering it! Is this what pregnant women do, eat weird things? Cloud felt he had no idea what he was getting into. _'About five more months, and...'_ The warrior shook his head, trying to become stoic again.

He looked towards Reggs as he peeled off his gloves, then unzipped his shirt. "You don't want to ruin your clothes..."

"You want me to strip?" the teen asked nervously.

Cloud shrugged. "I'm keeping my pants on for now." He paused, taking a sip from his water bottle before folding his shirt. "Do you have any last minute questions? When it happens neither of us are gonna be able to speak."

Reggs looked about. They had covered just about everything already with prior meetings. "I guess not."

"Did you do your homework?" Cloud chided before sitting back down, trying to ease the tension.

The teen nodded. "Somehow."

The warrior chuckled. "When do you usually wake up for school?"

"About six."

Cloud took his phone out and pressed a few buttons. "I usually wake up a little later..."

Reggs nodded and placed the clothing next to him on the couch. He took off his sneakers and socks shakily, and placed them next to his naked feet. He sighed heavily. "I...I thought the streets were safe." the teen mumbled.

Cloud raised a brow. "Why?"

"They always were before. That and almost everyone had a spray can. I thought mine would help, but I just ran away instead of facing it. And you were out there, too, even if I'd never seen you."

The warrior sighed. "It's funny, what's been under our noses the whole time...the streets are safer because there's fewer out there, but they aren't all gone." he scratched his chest scar absentmindedly. "And who knows how many purposefully reproduce."

The teen's eyes widened. "Do you think they did this to me on purpose?"

Cloud shook his head. "No. If it's the same two my friends killed, then you're alive because they were noisy." Reggs stared in disbelief, and the swordsman gave a wry smile. "Small world."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes afterwards, Reggs contemplating and Cloud lost in some thought that was making him frown. Tifa requested he bring home more pickles in the morning, not normal pickles of which the smell made his nose wrinkle, but some of the other varieties that were developed from Wutaian residents within the city. Those can stink terribly of a hideous funk, he remembered it from his days of fetching supplies for the bar and the times he visited Wutai. _'I did say I'd provide, didn't I? A good mate...husband, would.'_

He looked back at Reggs, who was in the middle of a yawn. Cloud stifled the desire to do the same, and observed his exposed teeth. "Reggs. I think you should take your clothing off now."

"N-now?" The teen rose quickly, eyes round. Cloud nodded, feeling his own fangs pushing out a little in his mouth. The warrior casually moved behind the couch he had been sitting on and stripped the rest of his clothing off, folding it, then crouched down a bit as he leaned his chest on the back of the furniture.

The teen did the same, his face red as he fumbled with his clothing. "It's getting hot..."

"I really don't know what causes that." Cloud watched as Reggs finished tossing his clothing, the teen looking at his warden for some sort of comfort. "...I suggest you get on the ground." he offered. Reggs quietly nodded, a resigned look on his face that sunk behind the couch. Cloud heard a shaky breath, and he bit his lip, remembering how helpless he felt his first night. "It'll be okay, Reggs. You'll get through this."

"...Thanks." The warrior heard the teen grunt and noisily position himself on the ground, then a few moments later heard him gasp and shout. Familiar sounds of crunching bones and a warping voice box reached Cloud's lengthening ears, and he couldn't help but wince as he heard the whimpers and pained growls as Reggs body warped into what it never should have been.

Reggs' arm appeared behind the couch, his hand swelling, lengthening, and his sharp claws tearing through the tips slowly as they grasped at the air helplessly and a brown fur grew sparsely on the exposed forearm. A low crunch and a savage scream concluded the transformation, and then a slow panting and a groan followed. Cloud hoped no one could hear that scream, it was almost as loud as his was. A clawed extremity flexed experimentally from behind the couch, and the warrior watched a few moments, before he would join Reggs.

* * *

 _ **He blinked several times, looking about in the low lit room. It smelled of fabric and a little bit of dust, and something human-like and familiar. Rolling onto his paws, he cautiously sneaked a peek behind the furniture hiding him, a human male watching him with interest. The male blinked and sighed, then sunk behind the couch. Something to hunt?**_

 _ **'That won't hide you...'**_

 _ **Waiting a few moments he leapt towards the other couch and swiped his claws at the prey hiding behind it. He stared in confusion as he came face to face with his would be meal, there was another wolf here! He sniffed, why didn't he smell like a werewolf? The scent was almost familiar. The blonde beast snorted and crawled away, as if he wasn't a concern. He frowned, then growled.**_

 _ **'My territory. I'm bigger.'**_

 _ **He pounced on who he considered to be a weak challenger, only to be flipped off and finding sharp teeth and hot breath on his exposed throat; a low growl reverberated on his hide. He licked his lips, his belly exposed. How strong was this newcomer? Or was he the newcomer? He whimpered after a few tense seconds, the alpha releasing his hold on him finally. Was he part of a pack now? A pack is more than two...**_

 _ **The alpha seemed to grasp something from the couch. He placed it in front of the now obvious beta, and nodded. The beta cocked his head, then dipped down to smell the small clothing pile. It smelled like a woman and a girl and like him, too. Why was his scent there? Were they pack members? Humans in his pack? He continued to sniff for several minutes. It was so familiar, so comforting...**_

 _ **A woman with soft brown eyes. A little girl he wants to keep safe. A stern man that always argues with him...He growled. His father wasn't in charge of his life, not anymore. Wait. His father? He sniffed again. 'Half me, half me. Something like me.' The beta looked up at the alpha, who was studying him patiently; he looked back down and sniffed again, slowly remembering who he was.**_

 _ **'I have a name.' He squinted his eyes, thinking harder.**_

 _ **'...R...eggs...Reggs. I'm Reggs.' He looked up at the alpha, the eyes almost glowing blue; they were terribly familiar.**_

 _ **'...I can't remember. I know him. He knows me.' Reggs nodded slightly, then looked about. Sighing, he laid down on the clothing pile, trying to hold on to those scents that were keeping him fixed, keeping him lucid. The alpha plopped down in front of the door to their room, and kept an eye on Reggs as he continued to study the scents before drifting off to sleep in them.**_

 _ **'...Family. Pack.'**_

* * *

A shrill beeping entered Reggs brain, causing him to groan loudly. He put an aching arm to his eyes, grimacing from the sound and the low light of the room. The teen heard footsteps plod towards him, then the beeping stopped after a moment.

"Mornin'."

"...Morning."

The shuffling of fabric and more footsteps made its way to his ears as he tried to recall last night. _'That was Cloud. He could have killed me. What was I thinking...?'_ Reggs grunted, slowly opening his eyes and crawling onto a sofa; he searched about and found his boxers, and he quickly put them on and then his pants when he found them. The teen looked towards the spiky haired man, who was already partially dressed and taking something out of the fridge. "Uh...sorry."

Cloud was approaching with a tray in his one hand and bottles in the other, and he raised a brow. "For what?"

"You know...attacking you." Reggs sniffled, and he smelled something...good.

The warrior shrugged. "You weren't in your right mind, Reggs. It's not like either of us were in any danger, anyway." He sat down and placed the tray and bottles on the coffee table and started removing the top to one of the containers on it.

The teen slowly nodded, watching him. The smell of the food was making his mouth water and something in him tugged at him to take a container. "...Breakfast?"

Cloud nodded as he took a piece of food from the bowl-like container with a fork and eat it. Reggs frowned, did he just eat a piece of raw meat? The swordsman looked towards the teen. "Eat it. You didn't do anything last night to keep your predatory instincts in check, this'll help."

Reggs reluctantly took the other container and opened it, and stared at the red chunks laying in a bloody pool. "This is so gross..." Inside him however, a small voice was screaming at him to eat it, a desire growing to his disgust.

The warrior rolled his eyes. "It's not like you're gonna get sick." He was pretty sure he'd eaten more questionable food in the slums.

"...I guess not." Reggs stabbed at a chunk and quickly placed it in his mouth, chewing the chilled meat swiftly. It tasted much, much better than he thought it would, better than anything he'd had since he was infected. He took another chunk and then another, the urge to eat the bloody meat dissipating his earlier disgust.

"That should keep you for today. This weekend I'll take you out past the Wastes, and you're going to change out there again." Cloud said as he finished his meal and sipped from his bottle.

The teen looked at him nervously. "Uh, I don't know if I can do that." Or if he wanted to; the pain was still fresh in his memory and the aches were in his muscles.

The warrior started to put on the rest of his clothing, after running his hand through his messy spikes. "I'll tell you how. It won't hurt nearly as much as last night, but you're going to keep yourself in check by hunting animals out there."

"...I'll be fine until the next Full Moon, really." He didn't want to go out of the city and kill things like a savage monster. _'But that's what I am now, right? No, I'm still me. I'm still me.'_ He went about collecting and placing his clothes on so he could go downstairs and freshen up before school.

Cloud's eyes pierced Reggs in a forceful fashion, hard and cold as ice. "No, you're goin' hunting on Friday, and you _will_ learn how to change back and forth at will. The sooner you have this under control, the safer _you_ will be around others." he growled in a low voice.

Reggs groaned. "But I feel fine..." He stood up, collecting his family's borrowed clothing.

"Because of your breakfast. I'm going to have them serve you raw meat until then to keep that part of you under control." The warrior sighed. "Look, your family is counting on me to help you, and they're counting on you to listen to me."

"Fine, I'll go hunting with you!" he whined. The teen figured he was under one man's thumb or another. When does that stop? He was already considered an adult in most cultures, including Midgar's.

Cloud stood up. "You didn't have a choice, but thanks for takin' the easy route. I'll see you then." He began walking towards the door and unlocked it, but paused. "If you feel like it's getting to be too much during the day, call Seventh Heaven. Here's the number." The warrior turned around and gave the teen the number to the bar.

"...Thanks."

Cloud nodded. "Don't be late to school, now." He left the room, off to his next destination; the farmer's market a block away. Cloud hoped to Gaia he the pickles wouldn't kill his nose.

* * *

"Do you have the pickles?" Tifa asked enthusiastically from her seat at the counter. She was eating a late breakfast, a fried egg and peanut butter sandwich to her husband's disgust.

Cloud placed the container of rank pickled eggplant next to Tifa, then took a seat on her other side and leaned his forearms on the counter. "How was your night, Teef?"

The woman swallowed a bite of her bizarre sandwich. "A little lonely. How did your babysitting go?"

Cloud shrugged. "It was alright. I'm going to take him out hunting during the weekend so he's got some outlet, I don't think he has the same level of self control I had when I first started."

Tifa nodded. "The situation must drive you nuts."

"With Reggs? I feel bad for him, but he's a rebellious teen. I hope Zeph and Denzel aren't so bad they risk getting infected..." They'd be able to handle themselves in a fight easily in a few years, but it was something he didn't want to think about.

The woman shrugged, then rubbed her slowly growing belly. "Maybe they'll have a vaccine by then."

Cloud grunted a response, then looked down at her enlarging chest, then her belly. That smell was like a magnet, and it hurt to peel away. "I hate it when I'm not there for you." he mumbled.

Tifa chuckled and put a hand on his leg. "I'll be fine, really. The baby isn't big enough to keep me from fighting, yet."

He frowned. The thought of her fighting right now made him cringe inside, but he knew she would take care of herself when he wasn't around. For now, at least. Yep, definitely calling Yuffie for a favor. "We still need baby names." he said in an attempt to change the subject slightly.

"Hm, well I'm gonna find out the gender next week at the ultrasound."

Cloud nodded. "I'm going with you, you know."

She giggled. "I wouldn't want it any other way." Tifa slipped off the stool gingerly, collecting her plate and placing it in the sink. She popped her back as best she could, then looked back at Cloud with a frown. "I know I'm pregnant, but gaining weight like this..."

"Teef, it's barely noticeable..." Cloud widened his eyes. "It's not like it's taking from your natural beauty, you know!"

* * *

"Hey, Cloud! I'm gonna sleep over at my friend's house tonight."

The warrior turned towards Marlene as he sat on a stool in the garage, looking over the pipes that lead to the water heater for any leaks or tears. "Oh? Natsumi's again?" He looked at one of the larger pipes, inspecting it.

The girl shook her head. "No, it's a new friend I made this year. Her name's Sophia."

Cloud looked back at her with his brows knitted together. "...Sophia? Does she have a brother?"

"Yeah, she sits with him a lot on the playground. He's really tall!"

"Oh...Remember what I said yesterday, that I was going out tonight?" the warrior asked.

Marlene nodded. "Yeah. You said you were gonna help a werewolf out so he's like you." That's why he wasn't home last Full Moon too, she remembered.

"Well...it's Sophia's brother."

The girl's eyes widened. "Him? Really?" She thought a moment. "Oh, so that's why he didn't want any cake...don't worry, we'll keep it secret, Cloud!"

Cloud nodded. "Thanks." He got up from his seat and left the garage with Marlene, then washed his hands in the sink before greeting the other children as they walked through. The warrior went upstairs for any last minute items or clothing he would need, deciding to switch into a black turtleneck sweater and his jacket to keep the chill away. One more check up on the children before leaving, he decided.

He knocked on Denzel's door, the boy working on a report. "Hey, Denzel. How's school going?"

The boy looked down at his desk again. "Pretty good. I'm writing a science report. Zeph and I both have to study an animal and do an essay on it. I chose wolves, 'cause there's a lot of them out there."

Cloud chuckled. "Sure."

Denzel looked up and grinned, then tapped his pencil against the desk. "You've killed a lot of them, haven't you?"

His guardian nodded. "They're usually active in the evening and sometimes in the morning, and the ones in the Icicle Inn area are active during the day. They're hard to see, especially in a snow storm." He thought a moment. "Nibel wolves usually attack from the forests, and Kalm Fangs roam the plains. But, you've seen them out there before."

The boy nodded. "Yeah, that one time you took me out to Kalm. They were chasing down prey!" He scribbled down some notes before looking back up. "Will you come back home tonight?"

Cloud shrugged. "I don't think so...Maybe we can do something together tomorrow?"

"Zeph and I'll think of something."

He chuckled and ruffled Denzel's hair. "Okay. I'll see you soon, hold the fort down for me."

Cloud went to Zeph's room next, knocking and then entering. He raised a brow, the boy working on something in the corner of his room. Was that the wrench he had been looking for earlier? "Hi, Zeph...busy?"

The boy looked over sheepishly. "Hi...sorry, Cloud. I wasn't tryin' to steal your tools."

Cloud walked towards him, looking at the little project. "What's this?"

"Um, when I lived in the slums, sometimes I'd watch this guy put things together and repair stuff that had tears in it. So, I'd practice on scrap I could find." He pointed at his little project. "I took metal shop at school, so I can get scrap pretty easy now. I'm just showin' the teacher I can make working pistons."

The warrior gawked. "...You...have a talent for this, don't you?"

Zeph smirked at the compliment. "Maybe."

"You should have said you liked this kinda stuff earlier..." Cloud gingerly touched the work, then the boy used a crank to make them move, if a little clunky and slowly. _'I guess I know what to get him for Christmas, finally.'_

The child shook his head. "I wouldn't have been in the mood, anyway. Werewolves and a new home and..." He needed to adapt to his new surroundings.

Cloud gave him a pat on the back. "Yeah. Hey, I know you and Denzel like watching me work on Fenrir, I'll show you some of the stuff under the hood if you wanna look at the engine later."

"Really? That'd be cool!" Zeph moved his headband up a little. "You're leaving soon, right?"

"Yeah."

"...Good luck." the boy said sincerely.

Cloud smiled. "Thanks. I'll do my best." He left for Marlene's room lastly, the girl also working on her homework before her sleepover. She waved after he knocked and came in, the room still housing two beds; Denzel's possessions were the only things missing. "It's gettin' dark sooner. You should probably have someone take you over to Sophia's."

"But you gotta leave soon."

He nodded. "Don't worry, I'll arrange it."

Marlene hummed to herself a moment. "Cloud, are you gonna turn your office into the baby's room?"

Cloud thought a moment. "It's not a very private room, is it? But I guess babies don't need much privacy, do they? Tifa and I haven't really thought about it much yet."

"You need to hurry up! I counted the months and it's gonna be after my birthday!" she chided.

The warrior chuckled. "Yeah, I guess we gotta think some things through, huh?"

"And soon, too!" Marlene sometimes seemed like her father to the spiky headed man.

"Soon. Anyway, stay safe while I'm gone, Marlene." Cloud left her to her homework and went downstairs to say goodbye to Tifa. The bar was bustling, and he felt reluctant to leave because of it. She smiled at him before turning her attention to a drink, and the warrior took it from her. "Who ordered it, I'll bring it over."

She pointed towards the corner, and he walked over to hand it to the thirsty patron, a regular he saw almost daily. The customer greeted and thanked him before Cloud made his way back to the counter. Tifa was wiping a spill up, then looked up towards her husband. "About to leave?"

"Yeah. Call me if anything happens, okay?"

She snorted. "I'll be fine, Cloud!"

He looked away. "I know. Good night, Teef." Cloud walked towards the door, asking the ninja that appeared at the entrance to take Marlene to her slumber party with a thank you, before disappearing into the waning afternoon light of Edge.

* * *

It was chilly out, and Reggs didn't like it. The warrior in front of him was leaning on the WRO truck they took to get out this far, where there was still living grass and the scent of fauna on the wind. It wasn't quite as cold as the barren Midgar Wastes were, the flow of life somehow keeping the area warmer than Edge, or perhaps they were in some other, warmer zone far outside Kalm and away from other villages they passed along the way. The grasslands were bathed in moonlight and cradled by the mountain range that was visible from the Midgar Plate on a clear day. The teen didn't know they went out this far, and decided he probably needed to pay attention in geography class more often.

"So, did you catch everything I said in the truck?"

Reggs nodded nervously. Between Cloud, the cat...Keetshee? That was his name? And school, he's had a hell of a week, he'd decided. Changing for the first time, eating raw meat for his meals outside of school, looking away when he saw children running about to keep predatory instincts dormant. Just take deep breaths, Cloud told him, eventually it won't be so bad, it'll just be in the background. Think about people you care about, and not the sounds of footsteps and screams in the playground. His sister certainly helped focus him, the urge to call Seventh Heaven reaching him once in the middle of the day, only for him to relax again with her help.

At least there were students at the school that were supportive towards him now, some of Marlene's friends and siblings. Cloud had mentioned in passing that Marlene, Sophia's friend, lived with him; Reggs figured that's where the confusing scent came from, his scent would be meshed onto her to some degree. The teen had to ask why the warrior smelled like an ordinary person, but he was greeted with silence and Cait Sith quietly telling him that some things are best left not discussed.

"I know it's cold out, but you're gonna have to strip. You won't be cold for long, though." Cloud said as he leaned off the truck and slowly took off his clothing. "I'm not enjoying the chill either."

Reggs copied him, fumbling with his clothing. "So we're hunting, uh, Elfadunks?" He wondered why they weren't going to attack something a little less aggressive.

"Yep. They're not too big and taste fine. At least they did when I had to eat some..."

"Oh. Had to?" The teen shivered as he stood naked, holding his shirt to his hips.

Cloud nodded, doing much the same as his ward. "It was cooked back then. A little gamey, but it grows on you." The warrior cleared his throat and looked at Cait Sith, then back at Reggs. "Okay. Let's see you do it."

Reggs bit his lip. "Won't hurt as much..." He closed his eyes and focused like he was told.

"Don't worry. It'll get better soon, you just gotta press on."

After a few minutes the teen felt the heat return to his chest, and he began panting as he reached the point of no return, his body painfully being twisted into that terrible shape the moon forced upon him several nights ago. It was a little quicker but still hurt like hell, forcing him to the ground groaning and growling until he was fully reshaped; Reggs panted heavily and slowly stood up, towering over the truck his teacher stood next to. He blinked, focusing on where he was and who he was, chanting his name in his head. He smelled fauna nearby, his instincts urging him to prowl.

Cloud was next to him now, the cat riding his shoulder. He looked towards Reggs, and pointed a claw in a direction, then took off towards it. The teen followed, looking about while staying a few paces away from his teacher. He breathed the clean air of the grasslands, filled with the scent of wild plants and a faint moisture from some faraway place and of course, prey. Reggs felt slightly less inhibited, his instincts dragging him along and he happily going along for the ride.

The area was flat and moonlit, the wind occasionally gently blowing through the grass of the area. Occasionally he would spot a wild chocobo, the creatures skittish and running off at the smallest hint of danger. Reggs had never seen this land before, only heard about it. The corridor they had taken to the plains was considered a melding area for the warm air of Mideel that pushed through the grasslands, and the North Continent air that blew through the Midgar area; it was prone to severe weather in the spring.

Yet, people still lived there in their villages.

The alpha stopped behind a thicket of grass, peeking his short snout out to spy on something. Reggs crawled slowly towards him, smelling some heavy and deep scent and hearing some sort of squeaking toot here and there. Cloud brought his head back, and pointed at the teen and made a biting motion. He pointed at himself and moved his forearms in a kicking fashion.

 _ **'...Huh?'**_

Cloud sighed, shaking his head at the obviously oblivious werewolf. He seemed in thought a moment and then pointed towards the grass thicket, entering it. Reggs followed, soon sighting their targets; Elfadunks that were upwind from them. The teen glanced at Cloud, the werewolf situating himself behind the creatures. Cait Sith pointed away at Reggs then held onto his friend's neck again before the beast took off towards the Elfadunks, the odd animals looking over in surprise. One tried to run away while the other, a large male, tooted angrily, shooting water at the charging beast.

Reggs looked at both beasts, then quickly charged at the aggressive Elfadunk. Cloud was swiping it here and there while dodging its wild attacks, the creature trying to either blow him back wih water or if that failed, attempting to gore him with its tusks. The teen excitedly leaped on top of the Elfadunk and bit down on its back, causing it to stiffly buck. _**'No backing down now...!'**_ He dug his claws in, then adjusted where he was biting down; it made little difference considering the thick hide.

Regardless he held on, slowly exhausting the angry creature as it tried to buck the furry monstrosity; Reggs was taller that it was and he was covering its back. Cloud rammed it and sent it toppling on its side, Reggs biting and holding on still as it kicked at the air. It tried using its trunk as a whip, smacking the teen's furry arm desperately, and he bit down harder, hearing a crunch from somewhere in between his jaws. It still struggled, and he wondered what Cloud was doing; he could use some help. That's what pack members do, right?

The tooting stopped but the struggling became more frantic, Reggs sliding out from underneath the beast; Cloud was biting down on the Elfadunk's throat in a bid to kill it through suffocation. The teen leaped over the creature as it slowly ran out of air, the kicking slowly ceasing as he studied his teacher's technique, claws holding the head away and pushing a weakly kicking foot from his face.

The Elfadunk soon stopped moving, the werewolf clamping down for a few more moments to make sure it was dead. Then, he tore its throat open, letting the blood flow out of it in a bid to make certain it was dead. Cloud looked up towards his ward, his piercing blue eyes looking into his, then motioned his head towards the kill before backing away some. Cait Sith said some gibberish that made the older werewolf snort, the teen uncertain of what was said.

Reggs slowly came up to the kill, then gingerly bit the skin between the torso and the front leg. _**'He's letting me eat first...it's okay.'**_ That human part of him twinged, observing awkwardly as he bit harder and then wrenched back, tearing away a strip of the thick hide and revealing the meat underneath. Reggs hadn't eaten since lunch on Cloud's advice, and the smell of the fresh flesh made him dive his maw into the tear to eat his fill.

It was good, Reggs decided. Sure, his hunting techniques could use a lot of work but it felt really _good_ to fight a creature like this and win. It felt even better to get to eat it afterwards. He gorged himself, his teacher sitting patiently and watching the starry sky or the grassy plains for trouble. After several more minutes Reggs crawled away, laying in the grass happily. Cloud nudged him up sternly, the teen getting up with a groan; his teacher waved his claws in a semi-circle. _**'...Watch?'**_

* * *

"...I think you need a lot more practice hunting." Cloud said as they rested at an inn in a small village near the tall cliffs that faced the mountains. They had stayed out in the grasslands for several more hours, the warrior teaching the teen how to hunt after letting him digest his meal; the monsters in the area were just enough of a challenge but not a threat.

The innkeeper seemed surprised at the three appearing so late at night, just before he would retire; he watched them suspiciously, as if they were possibly bandits hiding from recent shenanigans until he recognized Cloud in the dim light. They talked for a few minutes, then the warrior took Reggs to their room to freshen up before bed.

"Yeah. It was...kinda fun." Reggs said bashfully. He wiped his face with his towel before tossing it in the hamper, clean from his shower, then plopped on his bed. The teen settled down, then looked over at his teacher. "I feel calmer. Is that normal?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. It relieves your desire to...well, kill things." he said quietly. "It'll get easier to ignore up to a certain point, but right now you need an outlet from time to time." The warrior sighed, thinking.

Reggs frowned, running his fingers through his thick brown hair, then bringing his arm up in front of his face. _'These change into claws. Flesh rending claws.'_ He brought his arm down to rest on his abdomen and he stared at the ceiling. "Where will I go when I need to? I can't up and leave like you can."

The warrior chuckled. "I hate leaving Edge right now...there's creatures in the Wastes, too, but...I figured it was best to go out here. Less people in case you couldn't get back in control." He took a glance at the teen. "I'm glad you remembered what I told you about turning back. Didn't wanna sleep out there."

Reggs snorted with a small smile. "I thought I wasn't gonna do it, that I was gonna be stuck like that. Then it just happened..." He looked at Cait Sith. "How come I couldn't understand him, but...I think you could?"

"I don't know, but eventually you'll understand." The warrior scratched the side of his head. "I could understand my wife first."

"Oh yeah, you're married..." Reggs sighed.

Cloud raised a brow. "What is it?"

"It's nothing."

The warrior snorted as he turned off the light. "Sure. Well, good night, Reggs."

"...Good night, Cloud." Reggs crawled under the covers. _'Thank you.'_


	46. Troublesome Whelps

Tifa held onto Cloud as they walked towards the shopping district in Edge. The children were in school and it wasn't quite time to open the bar or prowl the streets of the city for trouble, the mid-morning sky grey and heavy. The week before the couple had gone to the hospital for another early ultrasound, Tifa fretting over the baby's health and gender. It was healthy, she was healthy, and the baby was just far along enough where they could glimpse what the gender was.

It seemed to be a girl, much to Marlene's delight and Cait Sith's elation for being accurate.

Everyone was happy, the boys feigning disappointment and Yuffie squealing about clothing and painting over the office to Cloud's confusion. Whatever, he didn't need an office anymore, right? He needed a crib and baby toys, and he figured he and Barret could take time off together to put the proper furniture together in the future.

"Here we are!" Tifa chimed before sipping her hot chocolate. It was a store filled with odds and ends and toys, a place they both have gone to for birthdays and holidays for the children's gifts. They entered it, their cheeks glowing from the increasing cold outside and the warmth of the building they now occupied; they looked about, starting at one side of the store to collect a few Christmas gifts for the children.

"Marlene would like this, don't you think?" Tifa held up a large brown bear plush, Cloud looking it over. The girl was growing up, but she always liked collecting stuffed animals and one day wanted to learn how to make her own designs; Marlene had a slight artistic streak.

He smirked. "Give it a sailor suit and it'd look like Barret."

Tifa giggled, remembering their friend's secret love for his sailor suit years ago. "But if she's dressing up this bear, she won't be trying to make you look your prettiest."

Cloud groaned, rolling his eyes playfully. "No more tiaras." They traveled down the aisles, looking for something the two boys would enjoy. "Since Zeph likes tinkering..." The spiky haired man glanced at a shelf, and found what he needed. The couple looked about and found what they thought the children would like, then paid and left for home, hoping they had enough time before opening to wrap the presents.

"We have enough paper, right?" Tifa thought out loud.

Cloud shrugged. "Hopefully. I can get more later, if we don't."

"I don't know if I want to leave unwrapped gifts in the house, Cloud."

"They aren't gonna pry in our closet, Teef." They walked onto their street finally.

Tifa frowned. "They tried that a couple of years ago, don't you remember? They were so busy trying to find the gifts they didn't hear you enter the room..."

Cloud chuckled. "Yeah, I remember that." It was the Christmas following Sephiroth's defeat and the children thought they could sneak into the couple's bedroom to see what their guardians had bought them. Cloud had come home early that day, and hearing noises from his bedroom, silently stalked down the hall; he peeked in to see Denzel hoisting Marlene up as high as he could on her shoulders to reach the hidden goodies. The warrior let out a cough and the two tumbled to the ground, Cloud sternly telling them to go to their room and then stilfling laugh. "The look on their faces when they turned around to me starin' at them was priceless."

Tifa smiled. "Well, I suppose they'll have fewer chances to do that. You're home a lot more."

Cloud smiled back. "Yeah." He thought a moment, remembering the children were growing older and that meant more independence. "They have weapons now. Tifa, I'm gonna look through some of our old gear and see if any of it could keep the kids safe."

"Hm? Like what?"

He shrugged. "Something that'll be useful if they're in a pinch. We have a lot of it laying around in boxes in the garage collecting dust."

Tifa put her hand on the doorknob. "Yeah. It might be more prudent to give them than materia, too."

Cloud scoffed at the comment. "As if they'd stop asking to use it."

They entered the bar and headed upstairs, ready to wrap the items up. December was a difficult month for both of them and Denzel, but the holiday helped them take their minds off memories and deeds they would rather leave buried; they would do their best to make happier memories for the season.

* * *

"C'mon, man! You haven't been to the club since Halloween."

Reggs shook his head. "I'm really not interested in going there anymore. Why not the park or something?"

Another of Reggs' friends snorted. "In the dark?"

The teen sighed. "It's not that dark..." He really didn't have any idea how dark it was outside, his eyesight letting him see quite clearly without a light source.

"Dude, it's nighttime. I can't see shit without a light." The teenager pushed away some of his curly brown hair from his face, frowning. "What, you've been eatin' your carrots since your parents kicked you out?"

Reggs paled a bit, unseen by his friends in the darkness of the alley. "T-they didn't kick me out, Janus!" How many times did he have to tell them that?

Another shook his head. "You never gave us a straight answer to why or how you holed yourself in the WRO building, Reggs."

"Uh, it's because my...dad pulled some strings with the president for a...program-"

"So you did get kicked out."

"Screw you, Alann. I wanted it."

His dark, spiky haired friend groaned. "Can we just _please_ get going? Goody two-shoes has to be back by nine or he's on the streets." He grabbed Reggs' arm and started pushing on towards the entrance of the club.

"Venx, no, I don't wanna go-"

Janus grabbed his other arm with a cheer. "You've been actin' weird all last month, man. Let's just go in and have some fun, grab some booze and relax." Janus had forged them IDs, not that the bartender seemed to care about such things. It simply wasn't a priority to enforce the drinking age of eighteen when the city government had much more important things to worry about.

Reggs struggled, Alann pushing his upset friend towards the door. _'Why did I go out this weekend, why why why I won't be able to go back to school Val wasn't gonna go out with me anyway but whatever Cloud's gonna freaking murder me with his sword and-'_ The teen bit his lip, the residue of that spray finding its way into his nose; it took all his willpower and breathing through his mouth to combat what little was in the air from an earlier round.

"Hey." It was one of the bouncers. He looked over the four with a stern look, then snorted. "Yeah, you guys is cool. Haven't seen you in a while, big guy." Reggs looked at him with a resigned look on his face, his life over.

"Family drama, man." Venx said as he patted his friend's shoulder.

The bouncer opened the door after nodding. "Sounds like shit. Take a load off."

Reggs' friends pushed and dragged him through the door, the teen relaxing a little bit after getting through the entrance. "Hahhh..." He looked around, then sat himself at a table his friends were sitting themselves at. _'I thought I was screwed.'_ The teen looked at his friends, who were giving him raised brows. "Thought I was gonna stink like onions and Gaia knows what else for the rest of the night."

Janus rolled his eyes. "That bouncer sees us so much he just skips us. He's not gonna waste spray on chronic customers like us. You'd know that if you'd join in more often."

"No kidding. I dunno what kinda shit went down with your family, but it's been gimpin' you." Venx said.

Reggs looked down, pursing his lips a moment. "I really don't wanna talk about it."

Janus tapped his fingers on the table. "We know. Must be pretty heavy if you aren't gonna tell us what's on your chest."

The werewolf shrugged halfheartedly. "It's nothing personal, I just..." Cloud has friends that know what happened to him, right? "...Maybe later on."

"Yeah yeah." Venx waved down a waitress, flirting with her as he rattled off a round of drinks and a snack. Reggs was slightly jealous of his friend, the teenager having the stunning combination of tan skin and vibrant green eyes which for all intents and purposes made him rather popular with the ladies. He looked back at his friend. "So you got to livin' up there, and what else?"

"Uh, what do you mean 'what else?'"

"They took you in for a reason." Alann replied dryly.

Reggs nodded. "It's an arrangement, I told you."

Janus rolled his eyes and then leaned into the table, looking at his friend. "We've been friends for years, we can tell when you're shitting us, man. Why are you up there?"

"...I can't really say why." He couldn't shake his apprehension.

"I saw you with that spiky haired man the other night. Are you shadowing him?" Alann asked.

 _'Shadowing? Yes!'_ He nodded quietly at the question. _'Maybe they'll get off my back now.'_

"Dude. That's the Edge hunter." Venx said with raised brows. "What the hell does he want with you? You aren't a fighter."

It was true, he wasn't a fighter. The only time he ever fought was protecting Sophia or sticking up for one of his friends if he really had to, Reggs was one to try and stay out of fights. His lycanthropy had, however, been making its mark on him; he was a little more aggressive than he had been in the past, but nothing he'd consider particularly jarring. In his opinion, he made a rather meek werewolf. "Well, um, I'm gonna do some documentation on his kills and..."

"Documentation." Venx dead-panned.

Before his friends could continue battering him their drinks and snack appeared, Reggs disappointed in both. His old usual, some lightly sweet fizzy drink and a large pile of fries for the four to munch on. They quieted down to focus on the food and look about at the other club patrons. They seemed to glance at one of the girls, Reggs looking at another.

"Mandi said the Edge hunter is a werewolf," Janus said, turning back for another fry. "and since you're shadowing him...is it true?"

Reggs shrugged anxiously as he gulped down a mouthful of his drink, the sweetness barely tolerable; he tried to keep from tasting it as much as possible. "How should I know if he is or not?"

"Yeah," Venx said, pushing Janus' shoulder. "Mandi'd be dead if he was lookin' to snack on her."

"Well, she did say he was stalkin' her and she woke up another time with him carrying her off." Janus shrugged, uncertain.

Alann chewed on a fry. "There's been rumors the WRO has been hiring werewolves, though. My father said that they tested the spray formula on a willing one...but no one knows who it was."

"That sounds kinda crazy." Venx replied after a sip of his drink. "Hey, does your dad know why fuddy-duddy here is livin' in the WRO building?"

"No. There have been rumors about one of the recruits being sent raw meat twice a day, however." Alann looked over at his nervous friend with a piercing look with his light hazel eyes.

Reggs grabbed a fry and choked it down as casually as he could. "Why are you lookin' at me for? I don't know anything about it."

Janus snorted. "Were you insinuating something, Alann?" The tall, light haired teen nodded solemnly. His friend started to laugh, his curly hair bouncing. "Hell, Reggs would be the _worst_ werewolf ever."

Reggs gave a pouty lip. He thought he was an alright werewolf, even if he wasn't as great as his teacher. "What makes you think that?"

"You're a momma's boy."

"Janus is right. You'd be too busy having your fur brushed by your mom to do anything cool." Venx said playfully.

Alann grunted as he gave a withering glance to Venx. "I don't think werewolves are supposed to do anything 'cool'."

Venx grinned. "They do if that creepy hunter dude is one."

Reggs sighed. "How the hell is he creepy?" Stern and his eyes were expressive of his moods more than his actual face half the time, but not really creepy. He had to deal with him last weekend, forcing him to change over and over again in his room, drinking stamina potion after stamina potion for hours. Cloud said it was the exact same thing he had to do, and at the end of the torture Reggs felt he could change quickly and painlessly enough, though still not as fast as his teacher. His eyes would criticize and compliment when his mouth did not.

"Well, you know...he wanders around at night lookin' for trouble. No one knows where he lives or who he is, and he's always wearin' black...and his eyes glow!"

"But you know him now." Janus said.

"Uh, well...he's kinda quiet usually, unless he's explaining something. Never said why he became a hunter, though." Reggs said sheepishly. He had to admit to himself he didn't actually know Cloud all that well, the warrior was too focused on making sure the teen wouldn't end up on the business end of that giant sword of his. He knew he had a family that lived near his parent's house, though.

"What is his name?" Alann inquired.

Reggs moved his eyes back and forth before looking at his friend again. "...Cloud."

Venx snorted. "A guy like that has such a fluffy name."

Alann frowned as he finished off his drink. "Familiar name..."

"He doesn't talk too much about himself." The teen knocked back the rest of his drink, trying not to grimace as the sweetness washed over his tongue. _'All I know is he's Sophia's friend's guardian...Didn't that girl say she had two dads? Weird. Two dads and a mom.'_

"'Nother round?" Venx offered.

Reggs shook his head. "I don't wanna show up drunk."

"Your loss, man. I'm gonna check out the club a bit." With that Venx left, Reggs certain the playboy was searching for some easy girl.

 _'There's too many scents in here. Too many...hormones. Sour, spilled drinks. Alann suspects something.'_ Reggs left his seat to prowl the club, looking for his crush. Why? He wasn't really impressing her any, her scent clearly showed that bit off at school. He'd tried casually showing off with...anything, really. Except the werewolf thing, of course. He felt like a normal, idiot teenager with something to prove in front of her.

He found her, and wondered if he was a glutton for romantic punishment. Reggs knew he couldn't have her, but he wanted her and it got the best of his better judgement. Val with the pretty deep red hair and crystal blue eyes. Short and a voice like honey. _'Maybe I can't have her, but I'll try anyway.'_

She looked over at him almost dismissively as she leaned on the counter of the bar, raising a brow at him. "Reggs."

His eyes lit up; she remembered his name. "Hey, Val. Just coming over to say hello." He damned himself internally. _'I should have asked Venx how to smooth talk.'_

"Hello." Val turned her head back, her red mane flowing with her movements; she began talking to another male that the other teen hadn't noticed immediately.

Reggs silently sniffed the air nearby. _'Another...male. Why am I trying?'_ His fragile determination was failing him, and he walked nervously back to his table where the other two waited, eating fries. The teen looked down at the wood of the table, and absentmindly placed a fry in his mouth. He made a face as the potato turned into a tasteless mush in his mouth.

"Why do you chase after her like that?" Janus asked. "She's not even your type."

"I dunno. I just...like her." He didn't know how romance worked. Was it just how attractive she looked? Val had started to look attractive to him as soon as they hit the upper grades. _'Maybe it's just physical.'_

"I mean, she is pretty hot. The only one of us with a chance with her is Venx...Hey, just tryin' to keep you from heartbreak, dude."

Alann grunted. "Speak for yourself." He looked over at Reggs. "I hate doing little chats like this, but if something is wrong, tell us. We've been friends for quite a while, you know." he sighed out.

The teen nodded as he reluctantly munched on another fry. "Thanks."

Janus groaned. "Then tell us what's up your ass all of a sudden!"

Reggs stood up and shook his head. "I...later on. I told you I don't feel ready to talk about this right now." He turned to leave, taking a few deep breaths to prepare his lungs for when he'd have to hold his breath at the entrance, the trace odor irritating. As he approached, he covered his mouth and nose as if stiffling a yawn and waved at the bouncer as casually as he could.

 _'I have to go back to my room. I have enough time, right...? Yeah, enough time to get back, no problem.'_ He wasn't unappreciative of his friends trying to reach out to him, but he didn't want that out. If it ever got out in school that he was a shape-shifting monster he'd probably never leave the WRO building. _'Or maybe the city-folk would break in and kill me.'_

Reggs left without much issue, coughing and his eyes watering slightly as he made his way towards the dark alley that lead to the WRO building. Lost in his thoughts he didn't hear the footsteps behind him until he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder, squeezing hard. He looked over, wondering what could possibly be the matter now. It was that male, with his fancy clothing and stupid face staring at him, and Val was watching from the side wall of the club, far behind him. _'...same age...Aggressive mood...Showing off.'_

"I hear you're bothering my girl." the challenger said.

Reggs narrowed his eyes, something tugging at him. "And what if I was?"

The teen tumbled backwards as the challenger's fist connected with his jaw, and he grunted before recovering his footing. The challenger walked towards him slowly. "Pissant, she's above you."

"Guess she likes meatheads like you, huh?" Reggs went to swipe at his attacker, missing his first punch but connecting the other; the challenger grazed his chin as Reggs went in for another hit. Reggs wasn't sure how he was going to get out of this, the other teen almost as tall and a bit beefier than he was. A werewolf can heal easily, but that didn't make him a warrior, just harder to kill. His punch jabbed the challenger's side, causing him to grunt and Reggs to mentally cheer. They continued on with their fisticuffs with neither getting the upper hand on the other.

"Lanky little stick!" The challenger grabbed Reggs and threw him to the ground, then savagely kicked him as hard as he could several times in the ribs; he heard and felt a crunch after the third kick. He groaned, only partially aware of the sounds of quick footsteps and shouts around him, heat growing in his chest. _'Stay in control, stay in control, stay in control...'_ The teen covered his face as he laid on his aching belly, wondering when the next strike would rain down on him and if he could keep it together; too much more and there would likely be some big trouble for everyone involved.

"Go back to your whore!...Hey...Reggs!" It was Venx, shaking him.

Reggs took a deep breath. "Go away."

He heard Janus laughing. "Dude's pissed he couldn't show off his awesome fighting skills." The teen felt his body being lifted up.

Reggs kept his eyes and mouth shut. He felt a hand touch his jaw, examining him. "Hmm. You might look uglier than usual at school this week." Alann said dryly. His friend pulled up Reggs' shirt, observing a growing, dark bruise and lumps. "That is, if you should go to school."

The teen swallowed heavily. No, the damage would be gone soon, this was nothing. Reggs had several cuts and bruises during his fight with the Elfadunk and it healed by the time he was finished eating. "I need to get to my room." he mumbled.

"Yeah, yeah. Can ya see? Why're your eyes closed?" Venx inquired. Reggs moved his head away, trying not to growl at the pain as his friend tried to examine his slowly healing eye injury; both eyes had dark circles around them. "Two black eyes? That hunter needs to teach you how to fight, for real." Venx and Janus squinted their eyes as their friend's eye opened slightly, the sclera obviously showing trauma.

"Please...I just wanna go to my room..." Reggs pleaded in a low voice, trying not to open his mouth too much. He felt his teeth, he knew they didn't look right. If they saw them, it would all be over.

Janus hummed. "Your eye looked funky and dark. I think we should take you to the hospital..."

The teen shook his head. "No, I'll be fine, really. I don't need to go to the hospital-"

"Reggs?"

He knew that voice. Quiet but strong, with the slightest of accents from some far away rural place. Moving his head towards the direction of Cloud's voice, he stood there helpless, his friends holding him up still with wide eyes as the strangely garbed warrior approached. "Cloud..." The teen could only imagine the stern look he was being given.

"Whoa. The Edge hunter." Janus whispered.

"I hope you're friends of his..." Cloud said in a threatening voice, eyes narrowing.

Alann coughed, getting the attention of the hunter. "We just assisted him in a fight. Reggs tends to bite off more than he can chew."

Cloud relaxed, letting out a quiet snort. "I see." He looked over Reggs. "Can you walk?"

The teen's friends slowly let him go, and Reggs took a few short steps. "Yeah."

Cloud nodded, then looked over at Regg's friends. "I'll take it from here. Thanks for helping him out."

"Yo, wait." Venx said, arm held out. "There's been rumors, so you know...better to hear out of the chocobo's beak." Cloud looked at him, his glowing blue eyes studying the other teen. "Is it true that you're a werewolf?"

Janus groaned. "Did you really just ask him that?!" he hissed.

The warrior snorted and walked off with the limping teen, not responding to the question.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking?" Cloud said in an exasperated voice as he stood in Reggs' room, the teen holding his head in his hands as he sat on his bed.

Reggs groaned. "They dragged me into the club, Cloud...they're worried about me."

The warrior looked away, a hand on his hip. "Your friends..." he said quietly. He sat down in the chair by the desk. "...You didn't tell them, right?"

The teen shook his head. "Alann suspects it. His dad works here, and someone was talking about the raw meat being ordered for me..."

Cloud shrugged. "I just told them you liked using one of those cooking contraptions people use in small apartments. But I guess when people think there's werewolves working for the WRO, anything is evidence." In this case it was true.

Reggs looked up. "They saw my injuries. How am I supposed to lie my way through that?"

"Dunno. Do you trust them?"

The teen sighed. "I do, but...I really don't know how they'd react to this."

The warrior rubbed his chin in thought. "It's up to you who you tell your secret to. Just remember, there's consequences..." Cloud rotated the shoulder Barret shot months ago. "If your one friend suspects it already, it's only a matter of time before they find out for certain."

The teen nodded in agreement. "If you hadn't showed up, they'd already know. I...I almost..." He looked back down.

"I'm surprised you didn't." Cloud glanced towards the teen, his body healing his injuries; the damage to his torso would be gone by the time he woke up in the morning.

"I would have if that asshole had kept attacking me while I was down."

The warrior snorted. "I guess your 'pack' was looking out for you then, huh?" Cloud lifted himself off the chair. "Whatever your choice is, I still have a duty to watch over you."

Reggs looked up as Cloud went to leave his room. "Am I just a duty to you?" He wasn't really sure if he put up with him so much as part of his job or some modicum of compassion, the warrior never clear on his motives. He truly thought the WRO was going to deal with him after Cloud had left his parent's house.

Cloud turned his head. "...I kill werewolves, Reggs. But if I can save any of them, I'll try if they let me."

"Even if they've killed people?"

He nodded. "They can work off their debt somehow." Cloud turned away again. "We're going hunting again in a couple of days. Try to stay outta trouble until then, okay?" He left to continue his patrol, leaving the young werewolf to his thoughts.

* * *

Cloud cursed quietly to himself in his office as he set up the fake tree in the mostly empty corner of the room; the makeshift family had used this space for the Christmas tree ever since moving to Edge. The warrior would prefer a real tree to what he considered a metal and plastic abomination, but this wasn't Nibelheim, where he could just chop a tree down and drag it home.

It made him pause in thought. He had done that, so long ago; when he was eleven he wandered off into the woods for a small pine tree to surprise his mother with. Cloud hiked to the point of getting lost after finding his tree, he remembered. He dragged the small pine behind him until nightfall, wondering how upset his mother would be with him when he finally made it home.

The darkness closed on him in the thick woods of the mountains, the December chill harsh despite his deerskin coat and fur-lined hood. He remembered wondering if anyone would care if he was gone, liked they cared about Tifa when she ran off to the mountains. Who was he kidding, he figured; he had made an enemy in most households because of his desire to fight and of course, being on the wrong side of the mayor's favor.

All because he didn't speak up for himself after Tifa's fall, all because the other children involved didn't speak up for him. He could forgive Tifa, would she have even remembered after her coma? The boy was too infatuated as it was to care in her case. Those others though...

Cloud had sat upon a snowy stone, trying to think where the village could possibly be and if he was close enough to make it despite the darkness and any monsters that weren't hibernating; Nibel wolves prowled the bases of the mountains in the winter. He had decided to continue on blindly, figuring he'd make it out of the woods one way or another if he kept going in one direction.

The cold crept deeper into his body as hour after hopeless hour went by, and soon he felt himself shivering deeply as he slowed down his travels. Young Cloud decided that perhaps he made a stupid decision today, and perhaps the villagers would silently cheer his disappearance from their existence. Maybe, he thought, he would come back as an angry ghost to spite them all.

He didn't remember much more, except that he had awoken in his bed with his mother nursing the heat back into him worriedly. She gasped and then sternly asked him what he thought he was doing so deep in the woods as she made him sip an herbal tea, and he simply mentioned he wanted to get a tree for the house and got lost.

He asked who found him and she shook her head, avoiding his eyes. Just a wanderer, his mother said. Just a wanderer...Someone he had never met probably cared more about him than the entire village put together. Besides his mother, of course. Perhaps the world at large has nicer people than Nibelheim, or maybe he just burnt down too many bridges. But he was alive because of a stranger, regardless. A stranger in the woods at night...

"Cloud?"

He turned to Rosa, Zeph behind her. The warrior motioned for them both to come inside the room and they did so, the two sitting near him. "Hey, kiddos. Everything alright?"

They nodded, Cloud continuing his work on the tree. Rosa spoke up. "Um, we both have geography reports due at the end of the week, and um...you used to be a delivery boy..."

He snorted, clicking a piece of the tree into place and then turning to them. "What places did you want to know about?"

Zeph hummed as he looked at the pile of fake branches. "We wanna know about some faraway places the other kids wouldn't use."

"Oh yeah? Like where?"

Rosa frowned. "You said you've been all over the Planet!"

Cloud nodded as he worked on his project. "I have. Do you have a place in mind you want me to help you with?" He stood up, popping limbs into place on the tree's skeleton. Before they could speak, he rattled off a few places. "Goblin Island, Round Island, Cactus Island, Mideel, Wutai? Name a place. I've been there." he said proudly.

Zeph raised his brows. "...Goblin Island?"

"It's far to the Northeast of Kalm, populated by Goblins. I went there to beat some up for Zeio nuts...Um, it's a special nut for breeding chocobos. There's a forest filled with the little guys on that island, too. I don't know if they have a village or not, though." Cloud looked down and picked up another branch, working on the next layer.

"Whoa..."

Rosa pursed her lips. "I wanna learn about the Northern Crater." she said firmly.

Cloud glanced at her from his work, the girl shrinking back and regretting her request. "You wanna learn about the Northern Crater." he repeated in a flat tone, stopping in his work and sitting in his chair. "Any reason that place interests you so much?"

"I...um, I heard from my parents that that's where that white magic came from during Meteorfall, and...it's really hard to get there, but you said you visited it..." Rosa fumbled with her words, the warrior's blue eyes studying her intently.

"I see." Cloud sighed and looked down, collecting his thoughts. "It...it's a place where the Planet draws Lifestream to, the Planet is trying to heal away the crater. That's why it's so cold and barren. Do you remember that giant monster that attacked Midgar? That's a Weapon. It was released from the Northern Crater during the Jenova War." He looked back up, his face a stoic mask.

She and Zeph both looked at each other, then back at Cloud. "...Were you in the Jenova War?" she asked timidly.

"Who wasn't involved in the Jenova War in some way?"

She rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant, Cloud!"

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Anyway, it's still a dangerous area to visit. There's powerful monsters in there, and there's a cavern that leads deep into Gaia if you go far enough."

"Did you fight the monsters there, Cloud?" Zeph asked.

"Yeah."

"How come?"

Cloud frowned. "So they wouldn't kill me. Any other places you two are curious about that's not explained in your geography books for some reason?"

Zeph blushed. "Well, if you've been everywhere, you're better than a book on the subject, don't you think?"

The warrior snorted. "Some places, maybe." He went back to work on the tree, but pointed at the wall in front of his desk. "I have a bunch of pictures from all the places I've visited if you want to look."

The two looked over the pictures of faraway lands, asking questions here and there as Cloud finished the tree's construction and then began to unravel the colorful lights that would glow on the eternally green branches. The children eventually left, and the warrior sat again in his chair again, pondering his role in the Jenova War.

Not everyone knew who he and Tifa were, and they honestly preferred it that way. Meteorfall sent the entire world into chaos, and the couple spent time wandering from Corel to Nibelheim and then back to Midgar for a place to call home. They ended up assisting the survivors of Midgar as best they could, and were rewarded for it by the civilians; they helped build Seventh Heaven for them. If all Cloud was remembered for was his help during those fragile months, he would be content with that, not desiring the celebrity of a hero.

Even during the Remnant Crisis not everyone knew what was going on over Midgar and who was fighting what. Rumors spread about this and that, and he was lost somewhat in obscurity as people went about trying to heal their loved ones. Again, when he helped evacuate Edge during the Deepground Crisis, only so many saw him specifically. For all they knew, he was a mercenary hired by the WRO to assist with it all.

No, he didn't desire it at all. It would just make his life that much harder, and who could possibly want his head after the Reactor debacle, or the Sector Seven Plate Collapse? Some still thought AVALANCHE were the perpetrators, though most correctly believed it was the Shinra. Still, someone might find fault in he or Tifa or Barret. Gaia knows they did.

Cloud looked towards the glowing tree, and let out a sigh. But he would happily stuggle for a better world for his family; that was what he wanted, and that was what he would try to make.

* * *

The teen left the elevator, ready to hunt once again. His usual nervousness had dissolved into eagerness, his apprehension at killing and eating things turned into a restrained enjoyment. Reggs enjoyed the struggle, but he still cringed at the thought of prolonged pain; if he could help it he would make it quick, if just for a way to separate him from more twisted monsters. _'I should have a code of conduct out there.'_

Entering the garage, he looked and sniffed about for his teacher, the man leaning on a truck with a disgusted look on his face. Cloud looked up and nodded at the teen, his nose wrinkled. "I hope you don't mind the smell, but I think this thing was used for transporting that spray." He motioned towards the back, the bed covered in a black tarp to keep whatever might be underneath dry from the soon to come snows of winter.

"...Can't we get another?"

Cloud shook his head. "At this hour? It'd take too long to get another out here in time. It was assigned to us, anyway." He took a blue pill out of his jacket pocket and popped it in his mouth before entering the front seat.

Reggs swiftly opened the passenger side and groaned. "It smells like Ifrit's armpits."

The warrior nodded as he turned the key to the truck. "We're going to the Midgar Wastes. I think you're self aware enough where you can handle being a little closer to the city." He began maneuvering the truck through the garage, towards the slowly waning light shining on the city. "That is, if you've been doing what I told you to do."

"Yep. I've been practicing in my room." Stay as a wolf for a bit every day you can, Cloud told him. Naturally, he did it before falling asleep, as if it were some sort of cheat. The warrior had been correct; his cognitive ability was shifting slowly into something closer to his normal, human thinking. "You do this everyday too, right?"

Cloud blushed. "Um...It's a little harder for me to do it every day. But, sometimes I get some time alone, or...the kids want me to play with them..."

Reggs raised his brows, his teacher finally opening up a little. "They don't mind it? How do you play with them?"

The warrior coughed uncomfortably as he pulled onto a highway. "For some reason they think it's fun. They usually just want me to carry them on my back."

The teen let out a small laugh. "That sounds cool."

"Hm. You never told your friends, did you?"

Reggs shook his head. "...I skipped school the day after the fight."

Cloud looked towards him momentarily. "Skipped school?"

"I couldn't face my friends after that. They'd just ask why I looked like nothing happened." The teen looked out the window, watching the city zip by. He wondered if Cloud just liked going almost dangerously fast in vehicles, a simple thrill he never outgrew from his teen years.

The warrior nodded. "Did they say anything today?"

Reggs let out a long sigh, recollecting his memories. "Yeah. They said they were gonna find out one way or another, so I may as well come clean." He looked back at Cloud. "Obviously, I kept my mouth shut."

Cloud chuckled. "Hey, hold onto your seat, we're going off road now." He slowed the vehicle down before guiding the truck off the side of the highway, the terrain making the cabin shake about violently as they took off, then went to a slow shake; Cloud seemed to stiffen in the dull light, sighing heavily as he pressed on.

"Did you say something?" Reggs asked as he turned towards his teacher.

Cloud glanced over and shook his head. "No, why?"

"Thought I heard something..."

"Maybe I ran over a Hedgehog Pie..." he mumbled.

Cloud continued to drive until they were far away enough from Edge, the glow of the city coming into view as the last rays of the early setting sun left the land. He slowed down near a patch of flat earth surrounded by small cliffs and dry pillars of rock, the dust on the ground whipped up by a burst of cold air from the north that held the distant scent of the sea. That is, if they could smell the air over the odor of the vehicle.

"Hm, I was hoping our trip would have aired out the truck some." The warrior said as he left the truck.

Reggs avoided leaning on the stinking vehicle. "Is it just me, or did the smell get worse?"

Cloud nodded, his nose wrinkling and eyes tearing as he walked away from the truck. "Maybe."

The teen stripped silently, putting his clothing on the top of the truck and his shoes by the driver's side front wheel. He felt almost hesitant, looking back at Edge and then the dark purple sky as the brightest of stars began to twinkle. Reggs hoped he was good enough mentally; he hadn't met another human yet as a wolf, and his reaction to Cloud that first night worried him. _'But Cloud will probably stop me before I do anything stupid...I hope.'_

"Ready?"

Reggs nodded, but cocked his head as he shivered. "...Are you?" He was still clothed.

Cloud nodded back. "It's special. See?" He turned away and changed quickly, his robe completely intact much to the teen's surprise. The werewolf tapped a glowing sphere near his chest after turning his body towards the curious teenager.

"That's pretty cool..." Reggs focused and soon heard his body warping and twisting and growing, a sound he wasn't too sure he would ever get used to; he shuddered as his body finished and let out a little grumble from the back of his throat as he shook his torso, fluffing out his fur slightly. _**'I feel warmer now.'**_

They both wandered away from the truck, the scent making both of them sneeze. As they left they caught other scents, of other creatures that might be good to eat. The Midgar Wastes were relatively barren, but animals made their way here and there as they migrated, usually from the Junon area to the grasslands. It was one of those paths that Cloud was looking for, something he had noticed before in his travels as a delivery boy.

After trotting in its general direction for a time they found it, a heavy and furry scent reaching his nose before they both ducked behind a rock outcropping. He brought his glowing gaze towards Reggs, and motioned with his head; the teen knew what to do this time. Cloud would flush a few out, and then Reggs would kill one. The novice nodded, and the alpha stalked about, Reggs watching from behind his hiding spot from time to time.

Cloud circled about, making his position known to the resting gazelle-like creatures, causing a panic; he hugged one side of their group in hopes of shepherding a few towards Reggs' position. The blonde werewolf snapped at the back hooves of the chosen few, getting a short kick to the snout from one of them and responding with a light scratch to the back of its heel.

Reggs heard them getting closer, the warbling cries of the prey exciting him as he peeked out one last time before the fateful approach. Two passed by and then he leapt out too soon, the creature crying out in surprise as it was sandwiched between two werewolves, Cloud too focused to notice the problem before it was too late. The three piled and rolled together, crying and grunting and growling in a tangle of limbs.

 _ **'Get it together, get it together!'**_ The teen snapped at the creature's throat, finally connecting and stopping the screams that were beginning to echo across the Wastes. Reggs held on and re-positioned his bite and pushed himself on top of the beast as Cloud slid away, he pressed harder into the hide and put his claws on its chest. He yanked with his snout as hard as he could, hearing a small crunch; it wasn't good enough to end the struggle. Again he yanked, and again; finally he heard a pop and the ungulate went limp.

He looked up towards Cloud, his ears forward and something akin to a smile on his face. The alpha snorted and nodded, then sat down to watch the area and allow the teen to enjoy his kill. Reggs' stomach grumbled as he looked for a good place to start, deciding the area behind the front legs of beasts was the best area to start and taking a mental note before eating his dinner. He didn't gorge himself as much as he did last time, remembering how sluggish he felt afterwards; this flesh didn't seem quite as heavy on his stomach as Elfadunk, however.

After he was done he stood watch next, his teacher flipping the corpse over and working on his side. Reggs looked about the twilight, the deer creatures watching them warily from their spot on the ground; a few of the males were standing guard in front of the others, the high pitched warbles and grunts of the beasts betraying their distaste for having predators so close by. The teen sniffed the air, the south bound wind bringing traces of that stinking truck from far off and what smelled like humans, possibly.

Reggs let out what almost sounded like a rough, lowish bark, the closest thing to a shout he could conjure from his throat. Cloud looked up, a brow raised; the teen pointed towards the truck's direction while whining. The older werewolf frowned, then sniffed the breeze. His glowing eyes widened; were they bandits looking to steal the WRO truck? Cloud left the kill and looked towards the general direction they left the vehicle, he looked towards Reggs and nodded before taking off quickly.

The teen quickly followed his teacher, almost getting lost in the sensation of the wind whipping at his face as he swiftly made his way towards their destination. Who were the humans and why were they so far out here? Were they spying on them, trying to uncover the WRO's plan to integrate a few werewolves into their ranks? The rumors would be tempting towards a bold journalist, he could admit. His emotions were mixed at war with his instincts, to attack or not to attack? _**'...I'll follow Cloud's lead. He's alpha here.'**_

He wondered how fast and how long a werewolf could run before exhausting themselves, having charged towards the truck quickly for several minutes, the vehicle almost within reach now. Reggs glanced about and noticed several silhouettes making their way towards the road without much haste, their scents still muddled by stink spray and distance. The teen let out another short barking sound, Cloud looking over and then towards the direction he was facing his pointed snout.

The werewolf charged towards the three and then dodged by some rock outcroppings in an obvious attempt to observe the three; Reggs hesitantly trotted behind them while looking for a place to hide. _**'Prey...not prey. No need to kill, already ate, yep.'**_ He noticed they were wearing thick jackets with hoods and yapping to each other, making him squint in focus as he tried to make out what they were possibly saying.

One of them looked back nervously and then shouted as he almost tumbled over, the others dragging him into a run. Reggs decided if they were going to run, he was going to run, too; he charged towards them quickly despite a disapproving, loud grumble from his teacher. No, he was going to stop these troublemakers and...then what? He couldn't kill them, Cloud would murder him for sure. _**'...Just let me see their faces. They stink terribly...Were they in the truck?'**_ Reggs decided to curve his trajectory to get in front of the three.

He felt Cloud try and tackle him right after he made his decision, the alpha snarling as he bounced off the ground and attempting to stand up again as the younger werewolf charged towards the running trio. He could make out the sound of their harsh breaths as they tried to outrun him, their stomping footfalls as they tried to make ground against the monsters lurking in the shadows of the Wastes. He heard Cloud's angry and panicked barks, but Reggs wasn't going to do what he thought he was going to do. They were playthings, yes, playthings, not prey!

Reggs shot out in front of them and they smacked into his furry side at full speed, knocking them and himself over as he underestimated the force of their impact. They tumbled about in a shouting, roaring pile on the dusty ground that ended with groans from all four participants. The teen stumbled onto his paws, slowly gathering his wits as he took a glance at the intruders; they were either kicking away or attempting to crawl away, the impact having taken the wind out of them.

 _ **'...They smell familiar. Who is that...?'**_

He went up and sniffed one, close to exposed skin on their torso then looked into their face as they shouted and whacked at him; his eyes widened and his jaw went slack. Reggs attempted to say "What the hell are you three doing here?" but it came out as confused growling, much to the trio's terror. Before anyone said or growled anything else, Cloud tackled the brash teen angrily, then gave a harsh glare at the interlopers.


	47. Please, Please, Please

"Yes, this was a great idea, Venx." Alann said sarcastically as they walked away from their stinking hiding spot in the truck. He rubbed an eye, rheumy from close contact with the harsh spray.

The green eyed teen shrugged anxiously. "Uh, well now we know for sure. Those sounds were..."

"Pretty freaky." Janus finished for his friend. "I knew somethin' was up, but I really thought you were goin' out there with werewolf talk, Alann." He sighed nervously as he adjusted the hood of his coat. "That's our Reggs..."

Alann sighed. "Yes, and we could have gathered enough evidence without hiding in a truck and possibly getting eaten. Thank Gaia the spray covered our scents enough..." He kicked a pebble in his way. "...but now, we have to travel back to the city without those two discovering us." They had used the last of the spray they had to make certain they couldn't be picked up by keen noses as they stowed away in the vehicle.

"Do you think they'd eat us?" Janus asked.

Alann shrugged. "Between one rumor or another, I have no idea. I'd rather not take a chance on either of their goodwills out here."

His friend sighed heavily. "Yeah. If they find us out here they might just make us disappear."

"Relax, we're almost at the road. Then I'll just call my parents to come pick us up." Venx said with a shrug.

"...And you don't think for a moment that they would ask why the three of us are out this far in a monster infested wasteland?" his tall friend asked measuredly.

Janus shook his head. "You're gonna get us killed tonight, either werewolves or our parents."

"You two didn't have to go, ya know."

"We didn't have a choice at that point, dumb ass."

"I shouldn't have told you that my father heard Cloud was borrowing a truck tonight." Alann mused. "If they find us..."

Venx moaned. "Look, they're probably gonna be gone for hours doing who knows what. We'll get home, then tomorrow we rag that shithead for-"

"Did you hear that?" Janus whispered. He looked back to see a large, brown werewolf stalking them, and he stumbled as he shouted in panic, the others picking him up and charging into a run. "One of them is watching us!"

The three charged towards the road as quickly as they could, the cold air burning their lungs as they pushed towards the lights of Edge. The sound of quick panting behind them put an extra spring in their step that they sorely needed, though it soon seemed to disappear under the sound of growls and snarling that was much too close for comfort to them. Pushing harder they prayed that whoever it was that was behind them would give up their chase soon and everyone could go home alive, no matter how unlikely the scenario was.

Their wild charge towards Edge came to a sudden end as their stalker somehow leapt in front of them, and they barrelled into the brown beast at full speed; the force of their impact knocked over the large monster with them and took the air out of their lungs as it roared and they shouted in surprise. They groaned on the dusty earth before remembering why exactly they were on the ground, and tried to move away from the quickly recovering werewolf in front of them.

It shook its head and crawled towards Janus, its leathery snout sniffing his exposed abdomen and then letting out a long, almost shouted growl that was replied to with shouts from the three teens and a panicked whack with Janus' hand to get those teeth away from his body. It was staring at them, the surprised, slack-jawed look on its face muddled by the darkness and the light of the city behind it. "Come on, Reggs...!"

A vicious snarl and swift movement happened in front of them, and the first werewolf was pinned on the ground by a somewhat smaller, lighter furred beast with glowing blue eyes that was wearing a dark robe of all things. It turned its gaze to them angrily, a low growl passing its maw as the brown werewolf whimpered underneath him. They knew it was Cloud, and his glowing eyes stared down at them with a feral glimmer at the three.

"We're totally screwed." Janus said as he struggled to get to his feet.

Alann kicked his foot, giving more space between he and the predator staring him down. "Been nice knowing you idiots."

"How can you be so calm?! To hell with this!" Venx thrust a fistful of stony dust into Cloud's eyes, causing the surprised beast to roar in pain and clamp his paws over his face as Reggs whimpered in confusion, still pinned underneath him.

Deciding to take the chance, the three shot up and dashed for the road again with the fleeting hope they could survive the night instead of being turned into their friend's next meal. They continued to hear pained snarling behind them and then silence; that making them push even harder, not knowing where the two monsters were if they couldn't hear them.

As they mindlessly approached the road like a finish line in a race they stopped to catch their breath before they would end up collapsing, bending over and gasping the cold air while trying to look out for their pursuers. Venx swore he saw blue dots watching from the wilderness, sending a chill down his spine; he didn't have much time to think about it as two lights came towards the three from Kalm's direction. They waved down whoever it was, and found it to be a WRO delivery truck.

"What the hell are you kids doin' out here?" the driver demanded.

Venx breathed heavily as he spoke. "Car troubles. Mind if we get a lift into town?"

"Yeah sure, hop in the back."

The three hurriedly did so, and they watched the Wastes with a hawkish gaze as the truck continued its journey into Edge. Alann relaxed a bit, sighing heavily. "Well, that concludes this misadventure."

"Oh man...what the hell do we do? They almost killed us out there!" Janus said, looking back towards the darkness.

Venx shrugged. "Dunno." He thought a moment, trying to piece together the puzzle. "They really are keepin' werewolves at the WRO."

"And it remains to be seen for what purpose." Alann responded.

Janus rubbed his scalp, fingers warmed by his hood. "Reggs almost...do you think Cloud changed him? Like picking people, and turning them into monsters?"

"He coulda. Maybe that's what he was gonna do to Mandi. Maybe the WRO is makin' werewolves for some scheme!" Venx ranted, his green eyes burning in the dark.

"Well, the organization is run by a former Shinra executive, though I've never heard of Tuesti being the sort to allow human experimentation." Alann retorted thoughtfully. "Then there's the werewolf they tested the spray on. Very curious..."

Venx tensed his jaw. "Reggs...What did they do to you..."

"...Is it still him?" Janus mumbled quietly.

Alann shrugged, watching as the city's scenery flew by. He hoped that they could avoid the two werewolves for the rest of the night.

* * *

"They _what_?" Tifa gasped, staring at Cloud as he sat at the counter of the bar. He and Reggs had defeatedly gone back to the WRO building an hour earlier than he would have liked to, the evening still young after their hunt. Cloud had gotten back home right after everyone had eaten dinner and took a shower to clean the dirt and any trace of blood off his face. His eyes were still a little sore from the tiny pebbles that had been thrust into his face, and he decided to take a night off from patrolling.

He had to admit he was impressed, even if he was irritated.

Cloud shrugged, sipping from his tea-filled mug. "Pretty crafty of them, huh?"

"But they could tell everyone..." She nibbled on a gingerbread man she and the children baked and decorated earlier in the afternoon.

He nodded. "I know. But I really couldn't do anything about it." He sighed. "I'll be fine. Reggs, on the other hand..." The warrior glanced towards the stairs, certain the children were listening to them as a tiny squeak from the floorboards made its way to his ears. _'I can play this game too, guys.'_

Tifa bit her lip, thinking. "What do you think will happen to him?"

Cloud hummed, sipping his tea again. " _Might send him to Junon, though I don't know if I want my father to be teaching him anything, even if he's been this way longer than me._ " He noticed her blinking questioningly at him, the two rarely speaking Nibelese; while the villages littering the Nibel area had adopted the language and various dialects long ago, Nibelheim was considered the birthplace of the strange tongue. " _The kids are listening._ "

The woman rolled her eyes. " _I guess that would be a safe place for him, the poor thing..._ " She pursed her lips, a sour look on her face. " _Barret called earlier. He said your father wants to visit for Christmas._ "

The warrior bristled. " _He's not staying here._ "

Tifa shook her head, glancing over at the stairs as she heard mumbling from that direction. " _No, Barret said he just wants to visit for the day. He would be staying at the WRO building._ "

Cloud grunted a response, then nodded before looking into Tifa's ruby eyes. " _Are you alright with it?_ "

She blew air upwards, moving her bangs. " _If it's just for the day, Cloud. I know you want to save him, so...if it helps._ " The woman shrugged, resigned.

" _Hm. I know you hate him. We don't have to..._ "

Tifa gave a disapproving sound, tapping her fingers on the counter. " _No, it's alright. You would do the same for me, right?_ "

Cloud nodded silently. He looked towards the stairs again, smirking. "You guys aren't very stealthy."

"What was that?" Zeph said as he peeked his head out.

Denzel walked slowly towards the counter as Marlene followed him. "It's Nibelese. They don't want us to know what they're saying." he pouted.

"Is Reggs in trouble, Tifa?" Marlene asked.

"Maybe, sweetie."

Cloud finished his tea and washed out his mug before returning it to the cabinet. "I'm sure he won't be hurt, Marlene." he sighed, trying to stifle his worry for the teen. _'His fate depends on the goodwill of his friends. We didn't give them a good reason to trust us...'_ A knock at the door took the warrior out of his thoughts, and he walked towards the entrance. "It's past nine..."

He opened the door slightly, then opened it further. "Hey, Evan. Vits isn't missing again, is he?"

The detective shook his head. "No, he's home. I had some information. An associate's been asking about the WRO and werewolves. He never said who hired him, but I think I sent him in the wrong direction for now."

Cloud groaned. "You detectives are a pain, you know that right?"

Evan chuckled. "This one is doing it on another's behest, though."

"Right." The warrior sighed, looking this way and that, then looking Evan in the eyes. "What's he trying to find out?"

"Evidence and names, especially...You've been sloppy lately. Vits is convinced you're a werewolf now, no matter how many times I deny it." Evan said, shrugging.

"I guess I have been." His immunity to silver had made him cocky he supposed; all he would have to do is touch it and most people would be convinced he's human. "There's others in the WRO. One's a student at the school, I'm watching over him. The other...he's in Junon."

"Penny isn't working for them?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, she just lives in her forest."

Evan hummed, chewing the inside of his cheek. "A student at the school? He's an easy target."

"...Yeah."

"Anyway, good luck. Here's his card, if you're interested." Evan handed the card to the warrior, who looked it over quietly. The detective looked over to Tifa, who was peeking over Cloud's shoulder. "Thanks for the cookies, Tifa."

"You're welcome!" she chimed back.

Cloud looked up and nodded at Evan. "Thanks for the heads up." He closed the door as his neighbor departed, sighing. "Why can't people leave things alone?"

Tifa finished her cookie. "Werewolves are scary, Cloud. No offense." she smiled at his pout. "You aren't anymore."

"...Thanks." He looked over at the children who had obviously been eavesdropping again. "Denzel. Can you give Reggs the news tomorrow?"

Denzel shrugged. "Sure."

Cloud gave a small nod. "Thank you." Walking towards the stairs, he thought of what exactly he'd have to do to keep the young werewolf out of trouble. _'Maybe when Cait Sith gets back from Junon with his upgrades...'_

* * *

Reggs wandered the halls of the school, his paranoia causing him to look this way and that as he made his way towards the cafeteria. He had decided there was absolutely no way he was going to sit with his friends after the looks and the smells during their morning classes together, a terrible silence that was usually filled with Alann's withering remarks or Venx's flirting when he wasn't paying attention to the teacher. Cloud had demanded he show up to school the next day, no matter how much he wanted to mope in his bed.

 _'Cloud said there wasn't much we could do at that point. I have to talk to them. How though? They probably think I wanted to...'_ After Venx's insane attack on Cloud, the werewolf had been blinded for several minutes as his eyes flooded with tears to remove the offending material sticking to them; by the time he could properly see again the three had hopped into a truck and disappeared back into the city.

"Why didn't you let me chase after them again?"

Cloud gave a withering look. "And then what? I don't think it'd be a good way to show you don't wanna hurt them."

"But..."

"They know now. You're gonna have to make amends."

"But they could tell everyone everything." The teen had moaned.

The warrior sighed. "I guess we'll take it one step at a time if that happens."

He sighed heavily as he entered the cafeteria, then went in line to get a hot meal. Reggs looked about for his friends at their usual table in a bid to avoid them, but they were nowhere to be found; the teen thought that perhaps they abandoned him completely, and he probably deserved it. Mentally shrugging he made his way towards the table, sitting in his usual spot and quietly eating as he lost himself to his thoughts.

"Guess his friends thought he was too much of a loser to hang around with him," a familiar voice said in the cacophony of the cafeteria. Reggs perked his ears.

A female's laughter came next. "I thought you did more damage to him than that. Reggs looks like nothing happened to him."

"What, do you want me to try again later?"

More laughter. Reggs glanced about, feeling dejected. _'Why did I chase after them like a stupid dog? I look terrifying to myself in the mirror in my bathroom, what did I look like to them?'_ He absentmindedly chewed a piece of a gravy soaked roll, then decided he wasn't really all that hungry anymore. The teen got up to leave the table, still hearing scathing whispers from somewhere nearby, grating on his nerves.

He tossed whatever was left in the trash and went to leave, deciding to head to the nearest restroom first for some quiet. Reggs looked about suddenly when a familiar scent hit his nose and quick footsteps; one of Marlene's siblings was approaching him. The teen stopped to let him catch up. "...Denzel, right?"

The brunette smiled and nodded. "Cloud wanted me to talk to you."

"Ah, okay. I was headin' to the bathroom, might be a bit more private..."

"Okay." They made their way towards their destination, and Reggs listened and sniffed for anyone that could be using the room. Satisfied, he lead Denzel in, stopping at the far wall; it was well lit with a large window above them and sunlight pouring through.

Reggs sighed. "So, what's up?"

"Um, Cloud said to watch out, because there's a detective lookin' to investigate the WRO over the whole werewolf thing. You know, since you live there and everything." Denzel said quietly.

The teen rubbed his scalp with his hand. "Man, I don't need this. My friends found out, and now they won't even talk to me..."

The boy nodded. "Cloud talked about it a little bit." He seemed to be thinking. "You really scared them good, didn't you?" He gave a sardonic smile.

Reggs groaned. "Yeah. I just...I didn't know it was them. I...guess they don't know that, do they?"

"They know a big scary wolf was chasing them in the dark."

Reggs stayed quiet, looking down. "They shouldn't have followed us..."

Denzel shrugged. "I guess not. Well, I'm gonna get going. Good luck, Reggs."

"Thanks, Denzel." Reggs watched as the boy waved and left, then he looked towards the sink. He put his hands on either side and stared at his reflection in the mirror, his youthful face warped with anxiety. He had dark circles under his round, sky blue eyes from a lack of sleep and his brown hair slightly in disarray, fluffing upwards and towards the back of his head. His pale skin held a slightly unhealthy hue from his constant worry, his angular features and creased brow combining to make a pathetically despondent face.

He ran the tap for a few moments, then began splashing water on his face to wash away his troubles momentarily from his mind, the cold water refreshing on his skin. He listened to the roar of the water drown out his inner voice, his breathing steady, the sound of stealthy footsteps and a metal clack...

Reggs immediately looked up and backed towards the far wall, his friends blocking his exit. "Uh...H-hey guys..." He noticed some glimmer of metal hiding behind Alann, the teen stoically standing in front of Reggs. The trio's faces were serious, almost grim to the young werewolf as he looked quickly between them, and he swallowed hard as water slowly trickled off his face. Venx shut off the tap, leaving a deafening silence after the tiny squeak of the valve.

"I'm sure you remember last night, Reggs," Alann said calmly. "unless it's true that you're quite mindless in that state..."

"You got a lot of explainin' to do." Venx said, any playfulness banished from his voice.

Janus took a step forward. "I dunno if it's still you or not anymore, but-"

"Guys, it's me, it's still me, okay? Please..." Reggs eyed the silver baton, a weapon his friend bought during the summer at his father's advice. "W-we don't have to do whatever you had in mind..."

Alann narrowed his hazel eyes, taking out the rod and tapping his palm with it slowly. "Is it now? If I recall correctly, you were chasing us in the dark, through the Wastes...it's not a very Reggs-like thing to do."

Reggs jaw tensed. "You shouldn't have been out there in the first place, you idiots."

"You shoulda came clean! But I guess havin' people know what you're up to could be a bit problematic for ya." Venx pointed a finger at him, an angry glint in his eyes.

"Yeah, it would be. You're proving it, aren't you?"

Janus knotted his brow. "You almost killed us. You, and Cloud. That's what you were gonna do, right?"

Reggs shook his head, his face pale.

"Then why did you get so close to me, like you were gonna chomp into my side, huh?"

The teen slid down the wall, sitting down with a sigh as he tucked his forehead to his knees. "Because I couldn't tell who you were, Janus. I didn't know it was you, because you stunk. I sniffed your skin." He said, defeated. "Then, I knew."

"Dunno if I believe it. Those teeth of yours..."

Reggs looked up at him. "You really think you'd be alive right now if I was lying?"

Alann hummed. "He has a point, you know." He pointed the rod at Reggs' face, causing the teen to cringe. "I think you should start from the beginning, Reggs. Who did it, why the WRO is working with werewolves."

"But I don't know who did this to me." he said pathetically.

Venx scratched the back of his head. "...It wasn't Cloud or someone else in the WRO?"

Reggs shook his head. "Cloud thinks it was the two he was hunting the same night I got scratched. He said he brought friends with him, and they were noisy, it got them away from me. I was almost killed that night..." He looked down again, wrapping a hand over his head.

"That gauze you wrapped on your back..." Janus mumbled. Reggs nodded as his forehead rested on his knees again.

"Cloud found me with Sophia, in the old church. He said he'd help me so I wouldn't try to eat people." The teen paused. "And, I haven't."

"Why'd you chase us?" Venx demanded. "If you weren't gonna kill us, what were you gonna do?"

Reggs let out a humorless chuckle and looked back up. "I hadn't really thought about it. When I found out it was you three, Cloud tackled me to the ground. I...was more worried he was gonna kill me at that point." He sighed. "Dirt, Venx?"

Venx snorted and put his hands on his hips proudly. "We escaped, didn't we?"

Janus pursed his lips. "But what's the WRO doing with werewolves?"

"You did say you were in a 'program'." Alann remarked.

The teen nodded. "I talked to President Tuesti, he's friends with Cloud. He arranged a deal with my parents to keep me at the building."

"I knew you were kicked out."

"I was not, Alann. My dad almost did but Tuesti gave us that offer...and I took it." Reggs paused a moment, running his hand over his hair. "He said after I finish school I can work for the WRO."

"How many werewolves are working for the WRO?"

Reggs shrugged. "I honestly don't know, man. There's Cloud and there's me, I don't know if there's anyone else."

"But you said Cloud was hunting werewolves with friends of his?" Alann pressed.

The teen nodded. "Yeah, his friends aren't werewolves. At least, that's what he said..."

Venx let out a long sigh, looking up at the ceiling. "You really should have said something earlier, dumb ass."

"Why? We already talked about werewolves before, remember?" Reggs glanced at the shiny rod. "We didn't have anything nice to say about the subject."

Janus shrugged. "You said you're still you."

Alann lowered the baton. "If that's true..."

The teen nodded slowly. "I have instincts to manage, but yeah." He looked down again. "That's why we were out there. Cloud wanted me to hunt."

"Pretty gross, man. Eatin' raw meat." Venx jabbed.

Reggs snorted. "It's not like you're kissin' me." he quipped.

"Val sure isn't gonna now." Janus said, bemused.

Reggs looked at him wide eyed. "You three aren't telling anyone!" Not that he cared about kissing Val at the moment.

"What are you gonna do if we do tell?" Janus pressed.

Reggs glanced away. "There's nothing I could do." he said quietly before gingerly standing up. "Well, if you're gonna gossip about it at least let me hole myself in my room first."

Venx shook his head. "Oh, no. We're keepin a close eye on you, can't have you eatin' any of the girls here."

"I don't wanna eat them!"

Alann rolled his eyes. "I guess we have to be your keeper yet again."

"I knew you'd be a lame werewolf." Janus said.

"I'm not lame..." Reggs moaned, though his face was showing his relief.

"I suppose we can catch up some more later. Perhaps in your room." Alann suggested.

The wary teen sighed, then nodded. "Okay, whatever. Kind of a late housewarming party, don't you think?

"I'll bring the beer." Venx joked as he headed towards the door. Reggs smiled softly, hoping the time together would smooth things over.

* * *

Cloud wandered into the busy building, the afternoon still young. After his troubles last night and mention of a spying detective, he knew he had to check on Reggs after school on the off chance trouble was brewing. _'I have to deal with a holiday, a rookie, and yet another detective. Am I paying off my debt through suffering?'_

Slowly he made his way up the stairs towards Reggs' room, certain the teen wasn't here yet; what little of his trail could be smelled was too weak to be picked up. Looking about the hall he walked towards the door to the teen's room and leaned against the wall, quietly waiting with his eyes closed in thought. _'...Do I get my father something for Christmas? What would he possibly want...I don't know him well enough.'_

Cloud slowly opened his eyes as the sound of quiet footsteps on the tiles neared, and he looked towards the far wall of the corridor to see someone coming from behind the bend in the hall. The man looked somewhat older than Cloud, with dirty blonde hair and scruff about his jaw. The man was almost his height, and wore a brown trenchcoat. The man raised a brow at the hunter, then nodded in recognition as he approached.

"Hm, they told me no loitering."

Cloud raised his brow, but said nothing. _'Who the hell is this guy?'_

Almost as if reading the wary man's mind, the stranger stuck his hand out with a smile. "Marshall Entwistle."

The warrior remembered that name on the card Evan gave him. He took his hand and shook it, observing that the detective was looking over his wolf attire curiously. Cloud looked down at his hand and then back to his face, deciding he would find out his name one way or another. "Cloud."

"...Cloud? The hunter?"

Cloud sighed. "Yep."

Marshall nodded. "I suppose you come here often?"

"Not that much." He sniffled, getting a sample of the detective's scent. _'Well of course he's suspicious.'_ The warrior looked down the hall and then back at Marshall. "...Do you work here?"

The detective seemed taken aback by the question, as if he wasn't expecting so many words out of Cloud's mouth at that point. "Ah, no. I'm visiting."

"Hm. Someone you know lives here? This is the living quarters, after all."

"...Yeah, I just left."

Cloud nodded. "I see. Well, if you're leaving stay safe out there." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down again, not wanting to give the man any possible leads or information if he could help it.

"Oh. Well, same to you, Cloud." Marshall's footsteps slowly made their way towards the stairwell, Cloud sighing in relief. Detectives were too much trouble, he decided earlier this year. _'Maybe I should have remembered there were other detectives besides Evan in the city. I need to find out who his employers are, and why the hell no one questioned what he was doing in here.'_

"Excuse me." Cloud opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the detective.

"Uh, S-sorry, I gotta project I have to work on!" Reggs.

He heard footsteps going up and going down the stairwell, and the warrior watched as the teen and his friends came into view. They looked about as Reggs looked down at his key-card, walking towards his room; they took a few steps and then froze when they saw Cloud. The warrior gave a half-hearted wave.

Reggs looked back at them. "Hey guys, my room is over here...what?" He looked back towards his room. "Oh. Cloud? What're you doing here?"

"I needed to talk to you." he said quietly. Cloud looked back at Reggs' friends. "Come on."

"D-dude, if this's a trap..." Venx mumbled.

Reggs rolled his eyes. "It's not." He walked towards his door and unlocked it, opening the way to his room and turning on the light. Cloud glanced over at the three as they cautiously made their way towards the room, then entered and sat at the desk quietly after leaning his sword on the piece of furniture, his head propped up by his hand.

The teen shut the door as soon as his friends made it in; the room was well lit through the blinds, an entire wall dedicated to windows with a view of the Plaza. He walked back and sat on his unmade bed, an anxious look on his face that matched his friends. "So, uh Cloud..."

"...First of all," Cloud started as he pointed casually at the three standing in front of him, "you three could have been in serious danger last night."

"I thought you said we weren't, Reggs?" Alann calmly asked.

"I wasn't sure if Reggs was safe enough to be around people he was close to yet. Fortunately, he was." Cloud explained. He looked over at Venx. "...And no, I'm not holding a grudge against you for throwing dirt in my eyes."

"Well, I'm not holdin' a grudge against you for scarin' the shit out of us." The teen said defiantly. The warrior snorted, dismissive of Venx's bravado.

"That man going down the stairs was the detective." he said quietly. "Watch out for him, he's gonna ask questions."

"...Detective?" Janus asked.

Cloud nodded. "Someone hired a detective to discover if werewolves are working for the WRO, and their names." He looked about at the teens before continuing. "I should be fine, but Reggs might be in trouble."

"How're you gonna be okay, when you're out there draggin' off girls and killing nasties?" Venx asked in a hushed tone.

Cloud raised a brow questioningly. "I'm in a more flexible position than he is."

"...Because you're friends with President Tuesti." Alann murmured. Cloud nodded at the declaration and the teen went on. "You fought during the Deepground Incident, didn't you? My father mentioned seeing you with several members of the WRO, and you were on the Shera during some incident in Kalm this year."

"...Yeah."

"I knew your name was familiar." the teen mumbled, fingers rubbing his chin.

Janus sighed as he leaned against the wall near the closet. "That's nice and all, but what about Reggs?"

"Well...I guess he's on his own if you aren't gonna help him." Cloud chided.

Venxed rolled his eyes. "We never said we weren't gonna help the idiot, damn."

"Still not totally buying what you two are selling, but not being dead is a pretty good start to learning to trust you again, Reggs." Janus said lowly.

Reggs frowned. "Learning to trust me again...?"

"You still lied to us, remember?" Alann explained. "Even if you felt you had a good reason."

Cloud looked over the teens as they bickered over broken trust. "Look. I still have a job out there to do, and...I'd appreciate it if you three kept Reggs out of trouble when I'm not around." He looked down towards his boots. "I really don't know what kind of friendship you have with him, but I assume it's close. Or was." He looked back up. "He's going to need your support now more than ever right now."

"As long as he doesn't try chasing us down in the dark again, that'd be a great help." Janus quipped.

Reggs groaned, plopping his torso onto his bed. "When are you gonna let that go..."

"Probably never, to be quite honest." Alann said, the ends of his mouth twitching upwards ever so slightly.

"We'll have to keep a tight leash on this pooch." Venx said with a playful tone, Reggs groaning again.

"Thanks." Cloud stood up and fished about his side pocket, the sound of potions tinkling together as his fingers looked for something. "...If there's an emergency, either call or come to Seventh Heaven. It's a bar near Reggs' family's house." The warrior pulled his hand out of the pocket and closed it again.

"Yo, I was there a while ago. The bartender wouldn't serve me any booze." Venx said.

Cloud snorted. "Of course she wouldn't."

Reggs propped himself up with his arms. "Uh, is...is that your wife?"

"Yeah." The swordsman walked over to Reggs and held out his gloved hand, a silver ring gleaming in it. The teen recoiled, looking back and forth between it and Cloud's stoic face.

"Whoa. What the hell?"

Cloud rolled his eyes, then grabbed the teen's hand and placed the jewelry in it. Reggs yelped, then blinked; it wasn't burning. "...It's a mythril ring I had laying around. See if it fits."

Reggs rolled the ring around in his fingers a moment as he studied it, then tried fitting it on a finger. It fit his index finger snugly, and he flexed his hand. "Uh, thanks, but what's it do?"

Alann snorted. "Isn't it obvious?"

"...Oh."

Cloud nodded. "Try and remember to take it off when...well, you know." He began walking towards the door. "You four stay safe. Reggs, I'll see you in about a week." He opened the door and disappeared down the hallway, on his way to assist Tifa before patrolling. He hoped his small gesture would, at the very least, buy the hunter some time to find out something about both the detective and those who hired him. _'I can still smell him.'_

* * *

Stalking through a familiar alleyway, the hunter looked about the narrow corridor in search of anything interesting. Glowing holiday lights hung here ad there even in these glum spaces, giving the gloom some festive cheer. The bar itself had the same lights hanging from it, Cloud having put them up last week as Tifa worked on a holiday menu. He kept his footsteps as quiet as he could, listening and sniffing for trouble or danger.

This particular area was a little farther from home, Cloud having grown restless with nothing to do. Deciding he could get home quickly enough if anything happened, he meandered through this alley or that road in a bid to properly earn his keep; Reeve was counting on him to hunt werewolves after all, and dangerous people on the side. He pushed through the chilly darkness, his robe keeping most of the cold out.

 _'All the werewolves are probably hiding in the Midgar Ruins at this point. I'll have to take a peek in there tomorrow.'_ He still hadn't given up hope in reaching even one of them, even if the ones he had bothered talking to would have none of it for whatever reason. Cloud sighed, looking up at the overcast sky; it would snow soon, he could smell it. There were other scents growing as he walked, too. People taking shortcuts home, he thought to himself.

The last several nights had almost been trouble free, and he wondered if the cold made criminals lazy. Not that there haven't been burglaries and theft, but that was mostly up to peacekeepers unless he came upon it himself. Cloud took a turn, and decided to patrol near the school for once, in case any more fools decided to cause trouble there again. Eventually the alley opened up, and he was on a side road with a good view of the school grounds.

Someone was walking away from school's front door, and Cloud narrowed his eyes. He couldn't make them out particularly well from this distance, but they obviously had a stuffed backpack on their back. The person hurriedly made their way to the tall, chain-link fence and pushed the heavy bag as hard as they could; it barely made it over the fence and unceremoniously fell to the other side.

Cloud kept to the shadows and stalked by a building's wall, cursing the wind direction. _'That better not be Reggs or one of his friends...Too short...'_ He observed the person as they awkwardly scaled the fence, slipping here and there as the figure climbed the obstacle. The suspect leaned, then plopped down on their feet on the other side with a release of air from their lungs; they then scooped up the backpack and walked off. Cloud stalked behind them.

The first thing he noticed was that it was a woman, and he felt relieved it wasn't _that_ girl that he had ran into several times already. Cloud decided she was a totally ungrateful blabbermouth, and he pushed the thought of her away as he focused on his possible prey for the night. What was she doing in the school? A student, a thief, or maybe both? Whatever she was, she wasn't good at paying attention to her surroundings.

She was quietly humming to herself, he heard, and as he sneaked closer on the dimly lit sidewalk that she was dressed rather plainly, though the colors weren't proper for someone trying to hide from the law. _'Probably just a student,'_ he deduced. _'pretty boring.'_ Straw colored hair, wrapped in a loose bun. Wearing a purple jacket and deep yellow scarf, slightly shorter than Tifa. Cloud glanced about. These parts were generally safe, the hunter figuring the young woman would probably be alright without him shadowing her.

He smashed into her as she suddenly stopped, and she fell to the ground with a cry. Cloud stumbled with a grunt, then looked down as the girl tried to get back up, her backpack hindering her. "Uh...S-sorry..."

She quickly looked up, one of her hands reaching for something hidden from Cloud's eyes; he backed away from her, still studying the teen. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." he said, his glowing eyes watching under his hood.

"...What're you doing, following me?" she demanded as she quickly picked herself up, backing away a few steps. Cloud eyed her hand; it was that damn spray, typical.

He looked back at her. "I was wondering what you were doing at the school. Breaking and entering is a crime, you know."

"I don't have to explain myself to you." she said defiantly.

 _'Hoo-boy...'_ Cloud narrowed his eyes. "You'll have to, unless you want me to drag you to the nearest peacekeeper post." He crossed his arms over his chest, not about to let her get away; he was bored and she was up to something.

The teen shifted her weight on her feet. "...I forgot my backpack at school and went back to get it."

"How could you forget that huge thing?" He pointed at the behemoth of a bag strapped to her.

She scowled. "I had a lot going on today, okay?"

"No need to be snappy." He silently sniffed the air. _'Nervous, really nervous.'_ He figured she was up to something, but he wasn't about to take her backpack just because. The warrior nodded. "I guess I'll see you home, then."

"I don't need a chaperone." She stood there watching him still, as if waiting for him to leave. He shook his head.

"I think you do."

The teen growled in a way that reminded him of Yuffie, and he tried not to grin at her obvious frustration. "Look creep, I know these streets, alright? I'm not gonna have some weirdo like you following me home."

Cloud shrugged. "Too bad."

"Seriously, I'm two seconds from macing you with this stuff-" A loud banging noise came from across the street, the both of them looking towards the source of the noise; it seemed to be some knocked over trash cans. Cloud looked back at the defiant teen and pointed at her.

"Stay here." He cautiously made his way towards the source of the noise, bringing a hand behind him to collect his sword. Crossing the street swiftly, he eyed the mess and heard ripping from within. As he closed in on the overturned trash cans, Cloud shoved one with his foot; a huge, hideous rat screeched at him, the thing pale and hairless with glowing green eyes. The warrior quickly sliced its head off with a sigh, the rat an obvious immigrant from the slums.

Because of all the pollution from the plate and the science department that was under Hojo's crazed eye, occasionally rodents and other pests in the slums would be more than your usual nuisance; they could become monsters. This one, Cloud observed, was certainly a monster of a rat. Large claws and sharp teeth, the body long with an almost gelatin like bounce as the head was detached from it. The eyes, however, meant that it had gotten into mako at some point.

Finished studying the dead creature he looked back, the girl predictably gone. Cloud made his way back and followed her trail quietly, eventually finding her again as she made her way through a door in a back alley. Shrugging, the hunter continued on, hoping for more interesting beings in the night than a huge, mutated rat and a firebrand teenager.

* * *

 **Hah. I had to re-write this chapter, because I was unhappy with the original confrontation. Should I do something with the girl, or leave her be? I find I enjoy Reggs and his Posse. Eh, maybe 50 chapters won't do it, but this is reminding me of Dragon Ball tbh. But I promised a year in the life, so however many chapters and misadventures that takes, I suppose. As long as everyone is enjoying it!**

 **Also, I hope you all got the reference with the detective...**


	48. Santa Claws

Sorry it took me so long, I was rewriting here and there and saving this or that scenario for another chapter. This one is more lighthearted, a break before any real trouble and drabbles of the holiday season. Merry Christmas!

* * *

It was night time in Edge. The frigid air of North Continent came through with a cold front, blasting the city with several inches of snow so far and darkening certain areas as the electrical grid was partially knocked out; it was a common occurrence in Edge for the electricity to waver in severe weather, though it seemed to become more stable as the years went by. The white flakes fell like confetti from heaven, icy winds whipping up snowbanks here and there.

Penny cautiously made her way through the darkest alleys she could find, Ithey bundled up on her back with a thick deerskin. She had made her way out of her forest a day ago, avoiding the road and traveling mostly in the cold night, not wanting to raise suspicion as to why two teens were out on the road, barefoot in early winter, let alone one riding a large worg. They had taken shelter in a small cave in the Midgar Wastes during the day, and continued on before sunset in a bid to reach Seventh Heaven before the weather took a turn for the worse; the werewolf could smell the snow coming. They both figured they were caught in the worst of it now, and it assisted their entry as a silver lining.

"Penelope," Ithey whispered, "are you lost?"

Penny whined in protest, Ithey chuckling and patting her shoulder. She never was much for talking like that, preferring motions and sounds, despite being a chatterbox usually. Or maybe it was just because he was the quiet type that he noticed it more, he really wasn't sure. Ithey hugged the pelt closer, snow accumulating on the fur of both pelt and werewolf; she shook her head of the melting flakes as she looked about for the bar.

She sniffed the crisp air, cocking her head. There was another werewolf nearby, a male about her age. Penny looked about quickly, hoping she wasn't being watched by another. Trotting away she continued looking about for the bar, a worried whine eminating from her maw. There were still people traveling in the Plaza, the area still lit; Ithey hopped off of his mate and placed a hand on her warm head.

"Just wait here. I'll ask if anyone knows where the bar is."

Penny watched as Ithey quickly took off in the accumulating snow, and she sat herself down to give her feet a rest. _**'Was this a good idea? What if that strange male is lurking out here? How late is it? It can't be that late.'**_ She leaned slightly on the building and looked up as snow drifted towards her snout as she anxiously waited. The soft sound of snowfall aided her mood with its silent jingle in the darkness.

A few minutes later and she heard snow crunching underfoot, and she dared to peek from her hiding spot; Ithey was quickly making his way to her. He pointed towards a dark alley. "It's that way." The teen sat back down on her and held the large bag tucked under his arm snugly as the werewolf stood up and quickly trotted in the direction the bar was supposedly at. After a minute of brisk travel Penny started to recognize the alley and the familiar scents of Tifa's food when the wind whipped from that direction.

"Hey, you stay here by the garage door, I'll go through the front, okay?" Ithey smiled at her before quickly making his way towards the front of the bar. Penny let out a long sigh, they finally made it to their friends' home, and without any real trouble. She looked around the corner, noticing people running here and there on the street to get home in the bad weather.

The werewolf looked about the snowy, abandoned space as she waited, looking up at darkened windows that occasionally lit up as the power struggled to stay on. She wondered warily if anyone was watching her in the dark, the irony of a werewolf being afraid of people in the dark not lost on her. The sound of the garage door opening made her perk her ears forward. "Penny?" It was Cloud. She turned to him and did her best impression of a smile.

Cloud grinned, then looked up and down the alley before returning his gaze to the werewolf. "Come on, let's get you out of this snow." She nodded and followed him inside, shaking her body as soon as she made it into the dry garage.

The warrior shut the sliding door and looked back at Penny. "So, you two wanted to visit us for the holidays, huh?"

She nodded back, watching as her friend rummaged around a large cabinet and procured a blanket. He wrapped it around her neck and nodded, and a moment later a human Penny was sitting on the concrete, sighing contentedly. "It's been a long time since we ever celebrated a holiday. And you guys..."

He smiled. "It's good to have you two here, Penny." Cloud glanced at the garage door a moment, his face suddenly serious. "There's a detective on our case right now."

Her face wrinkled in worry. "I hope I'm not gonna cause any trouble being here!"

The swordsman shook his head. "You aren't who he's looking for, but just be careful."

Penny stood up with the blanket hugging her figure. "Oh. Um, I smelled another werewolf out there..."

"Male, about your age?"

"Yeah!"

Cloud gave a light chuckle. "His name's Reggs." He walked towards the door that lead into the bar and opened it, the lights flickering here and there. Penny eyed Ithey sitting at the counter, and Tifa approaching her with a smile.

"Penny! There should be enough hot water left..." Tifa ushered the girl upstairs, both chattering happily about what they had been up to since the last time they had met, leaving Cloud to dish out leftover dinner for their guests.

The bar had been closed early with the flickering electric, and the snow was growing deeper and deeper. Christmas Eve was tomorrow night, and the two teens were relieved they hadn't missed the holiday after all.

"Barret's gonna come tomorrow afternoon. He...said he had a project to work on with me." Cloud scratched the back of his head, unsure what the project was. Ithey happily gnoshed into another cookie, the teen treasuring sweets that aren't easy to find in the forest.

"Count me in if you need another pair of hands."

Cloud nodded. "Thanks." He looked about the empty bar, leaning on the galley's side of the counter. "You guys can use the other guest room, if you want."

Penny raised a brow. "What's wrong?"

"I, um..." The warrior tapped his fingers against the counter. They hadn't heard about his father, he would be surprised if Nanaki said anything about it during his visit. "Well, my father is visiting for the day."

"Oh, really? Do you not get along with him?"

Cloud let out a humorless chuckle. "Not too well yet. He's the one that changed me."

The couple's jaws slacked. "Your dad...did that to you?" Ithey whispered. "And he's coming over for the holidays."

The warrior nodded, then told them everything that happened. "So, he's been working in Junon. Barret's been keeping an eye on him the whole time."

Penny hummed, pressing her index fingers together gently. "Zeph is probably terrified."

Cloud shrugged. "I wouldn't say he's _that_ scared..."

The teen smiled back. "He's getting better, then?"

"Little by little. I think he still has a ways to go, but trauma takes time to heal." the warrior said. _'Even then, it leaves a scar.'_

Ithey yawned after finishing his cookie. "Well, we're beat. I think we might hit the hay, Cloud."

Penny rolled her eyes. "You're beat? I had to carry you here!" she said playfully as she left her seat.

"Have a good night, you two." The warrior left the galley and headed upstairs, hoping the electric wouldn't go out too many times during the blizzard.

* * *

Denzel threw the snowball as hard as he could, the ball exploding into the back of Cloud's head; bits of snow stuck to the dark blue knit cap that held back some of his unruly spikes. The warrior slowly turned around and glared at the boy, his mouth covered by a black scarf and his bangs shading his eyes, allowing the glow to show. Zeph shuddered, looking back between them both. Denzel just grinned.

"You're goin' down, Denzel." Cloud shot a snowball he had been working on with his back turned to the children and hit Denzel in the chest, making him grunt. The boy looked up and noticed his guardian was smiling under the scarf, and then Cloud dashed down the alleyway, probably in search of a hiding spot to snipe the children with snowballs.

Marlene giggled, working on a snowman. "You're gonna get the sniffles again!"

Denzel tapped Zeph's shoulder. "Hey, you go that way, we'll trap'em!" The brunette ran off as he scooped up balls of snow hurriedly, the other boy watching slack-jawed at his adoptive sibling's enthusiasm for hunting down their guardian.

They were so going to get Cloud.

He did as he was told and cautiously made his way down the other alley, peeking around the corner for Cloud. Zeph noticed Denzel looking about with a confused look on his face, then he yelped as someone yanked him from behind, then silence. The blonde looked about wildly, then ran towards Denzel's direction. "Denzel!" He heard a crunch behind him, causing him to gasp in the cold air.

Zeph screamed as he was grabbed by his coat and tossed gently into a nearby snow drift, the grey sky staring bleakly back at him as he laid in the soft snow. Cloud's head entered his eyesight, his guardian's shoulders shaking from laughter. Zeph slowly blinked. "You guys didn't stand a chance." It wasn't Cloud's usual, subdued chuckle; it was almost something carefree.

Cloud was still laughing as Zeph flung the snowball he held tightly right into the warrior's face, and then more assaulted his back. He turned, Denzel and Marlene throwing more balls at him. He rubbed the snow out of his eyes and scooped up some more snow with a sniffle. "Marlene, I thought we were a team!"

"I changed my mind," and Cloud dodged her snowball, the soft object exploding on Zeph as he got up. He frowned as she clamped her hands over her mouth, then he scooped up more snow and tossed another projectile at her. The competition turned into a free-for-all that ended in pink cheeks and and gasps for air, the warrior leaning into the snow drift as he rested. His body fell in a few inches before the snow packed enough to hold his weight, the scent of snow and cold air filling his nose.

"You're gettin' slower, Cloud." Denzel teased.

Cloud snorted. "I have to chase after more kids." He looked towards the small alley that lead to the road, Penny was walking towards them in some old boots Tifa had let her borrow for the day.

"Hey, Tifa said lunch is ready!"

The children sat up and charged towards the front of the bar as Cloud slowly stood up, ready to warm up. He nodded at Penny and followed her towards the front of the bar, a smile plastered on his face underneath his scarf as the after glow of the snowball fight lingered.

* * *

"Damn. I hate these directions." Cloud growled to himself.

Barret tapped the paper. "We on step five, Spiky!"

"I know that." the swordsman spat, annoyed. "Where are the screws for step five?"

Ithey dug through the box, finding a plastic bag here and there filled with metal parts; nails and screws and other things he couldn't identify. "Is this it?" He tossed a bag to the floor. Barret grabbed it and looked at the contents.

"Yeah, this's it." Barret mumbled, Cait Sith looking at the screw type and picking a flat head up for his friend.

Cloud couldn't believe how much trouble a simple crib could be to make. Maybe it was because of all the little pieces, or the fact Barret was sometimes bad with construction. He took the piece that was supposed to be at the base of the crib, then lined it up for the screws. "You sure your fingers aren't too thick for this?" he joked.

"How about you do it then, yeh jackass!" Barret fumbled with the screw, cursing.

Ithey bent over. "How about I do that?" With a grumble he was handed the screwdriver, and had the screws in place after several minutes.

"We've been workin' on this for an hour." Cloud grumbled.

The teen gave a goofy smile. "Just eleven more steps to go." The adults groaned.

"That's the spirit, lads!" Cait Sith chimed brightly, Barret pushing him over.

Barret had entered the bar sometime after lunch, the large man doting over Marlene as he wore a Santa hat over his cornrows. Afterwards he returned to his truck, only to reappear with a large bag, Cait Sith on his shoulder, and a big box. Cloud had taken the box at Barret's urging, raising a brow as the man chuckled. A crib, Barret bought them a crib.

Cloud realized today that he hated cribs.

It was dark out now, the four halfway through construction as Tifa yelled from the bottom of the steps that dinner was ready. They all got up with a relieved grumble, Barret slapping Cloud's shoulder before they left the room; Cait Sith stayed behind to clean up the tools and find any pieces they would need the next time they worked on it.

"You gonna be a daddy, Cloud. Never thought I'd see the day."

The warrior blushed. "Yeah. A daughter..."

Barret chuckled as they headed for the stairwell, well aware of the gender from Marlene. "I got faith in ya."

"For once."

That illicited grumbles and curses from Barret, Cloud hiding his smirk as they went downstairs to eat with everyone. As always, Barret told stories and Cloud corrected here and there, and Tifa correcting both of them.

* * *

No matter how much Cloud moved on, he always spent a few hours thinking about his past adventures as his mind wandered, looking back. He figured certain dates would always stick with him no matter what he did, and he just accepted it. When he had a quiet moment alone, which seemed rare anymore, his mind went back to memories of those days; especially this month and next. That's when it all came to a head.

It was Christmas Eve, and he was sitting at his desk, staring at the pictures of his friends and family. The children may or may not still be asleep, though Barret certainly was. Penny and Ithey rested downstairs, the two helping Cloud and Tifa throughout the day with cooking or construction.

The glow of the tree reflected off the picture frames, lighting with blue, green and red here and there. He and Tifa had already placed the presents under the fake evergreen that evening after the children went to bed, then sat together for a few moments to quietly talk about the next morning.

Cloud held the most recent photo they had developed in his hands. He looked happier than the earlier ones, he noticed. Marlene and Denzel were obviously growing up, Zeph was shyly looking at the camera as Yuffie chimed 'say cheese!' while standing in front of the two adults. He wondered if the boy still felt awkward about being brought into the makeshift family, if he still had some trepidation towards the warrior. _'I wouldn't doubt that he did. He still has nightmares, even if they aren't as common as they used to be.'_

He put the photo back, then looked about the room; there were pieces to an unfinished crib next to the bed, he, Ithey and Barret had left it for the day after Christmas as they argued over what screw went where and if they had the right tool in the first place. Glancing back at the tree he silently counted the colorfully wrapped boxes and lumps; he wondered if the kids would wait for them to wake up before attacking their presents.

Quietly he left the room, walking towards his bed where Tifa waited. Barret's snoring reached his ears as he slept in Marlene's room, and some sound of one of the boys shuffling around on their bed as he passed by. As silently as he could, he sneaked into the room, glaring at the clock that told him it was almost midnight and then down at Tifa, the woman laying on her side and softly breathing. Cloud gently shuffled into bed and watched her sleep for a few moments, moving stray tangles of her hair from her face. He settled into his pillow, his hand over hers as he attempted to get some sleep before tomorrow's madness.

* * *

"Jes' you three wait! Those two still ain't awake..."

"Papa, you should wake them up, it's kinda late!"

"It's only seven, Marlene."

"Aye, keep yer shirts on!"

Cloud creaked open the bedroom door, Tifa putting a Santa hat on his head; the fuzzy white ball laying over Cloud's shoulder. "Time to go, Santa Claws." she dead-panned with a grin.

He groaned playfully before walking down the hall and into his office with Tifa, the warrior nodding at the children. "Mornin'." He was greeted back timidly, the children figeting on their knees.

"Can we?"

"Have at it." he said as he motioned with his head."

It was almost like a burst of confetti as the children tore into the wrapping paper with abandon, the adults suppressing laughter. Cloud looked about and figured Penny and Ithey were still asleep; he found it fortunate as the room was already crowded as it was.

Denzel grinned at the stack of comic books Barret had gifted him, thanking the man for a new collection to add to his bookcase. His next gift was small and from Cloud and Tifa, he cocked his head. Opening up the little box a red ribbon slid into his hand, and he looked up at them with a curious look on his face after looking at the other two children; they also had similar boxes that they opened up immediately, finding the same thing. Marlene seemed the happiest with the little thing.

Cloud and Tifa both had grins on their faces. "We went through a lot of trouble for these, years ago. They're almost priceless, now." he said. Cait Sith was happily gawking at the presents, softly clapping his gloved hands.

Tifa nodded. "We figured now was a good time to gift them."

Denzel looked down at it, then back up at them. "What is it?" He knew there was probably more to it than just a piece of fabric.

"I'll show you after breakfast." Cloud promised.

The boy nodded and thanked them, and continued with his present hunting. Zeph beamed at his very first tool set, no longer needing to borrow his guardian's possessions, and several toy monsters gifted by Barret. Marlene hugged her new teddy bear and thanked her father for her new winter coat, the pink contrasted with fluffy white fur.

Beyond that there were some new clothing and a book for each child; they went off to their rooms with their hauls, thanking the adults for the gifts. Barret chuckled and pointed at the tree. "Now's you two's turn."

Cloud crouched down by the tree, tossing a gift Barret's way before handing Tifa one for her. What could he say, he mused in his head, they were boring adults. Practical gifts like clothing or accessories ruled for them; even if he could be a big kid when he didn't have to save the world, or fix some other trouble with his big sword.

A new cologne from Tifa, a special sword polish from Junon he really liked from Barret. The kids made all three of them twine bracelets that according to Marlene as she poked her head through the door, took a really long time to make. Tifa had a new necklace, Barret a bottle of aged Corel wine Tifa kept for several years in the bar, waiting. Cloud and Barret cleaned up as Tifa went downstairs to cook breakfast, a few presents left for their guests; Tifa had wrapped up some items she thought the couple could use in the forest.

"You dad tried shoppin' for the kids the day before we left." Barret said as the two tossed wrapping paper into a trash bag.

Cloud glanced up. "...Oh yeah?"

Barret nodded. "Yeah. Dunno what he got'em, though." He stuffed some trash into the open trash bag. "Your old man is a pain in the ass, jes like you sometimes. Reminds me of how it was way back when..."

"We are related..." the warrior said dryly, sighing. He crumpled some paper. "Is he acclimating?"

"He finally took to Shelke, so I'd say yeah."

Cloud raised his brows. "How do you mean?"

"I mean, he's been protective of her. Not that she needs it, but that doesn't stop him." Barret grumbled a laugh. "Took him a while, her way of talking got him to snarl like a caged wolf! Shelke'd just stare at him a moment and continue on her conversation like nothin' happened."

The warrior grunted. "I guess there's hope for him still."

Barret stood up, ready for breakfast. "Still ready to blow his brains out if he looks at Marlene funny!"

Cloud followed. "If you can shoot him, that is." He missed bantering Barret.

"I ain't gonna miss this time!"

After breakfast the warrior waited in the garage, sitting on his stool and rolling a materia in his hand; the children would be in here soon, right after they take Penny and Ithey's gifts to their room. Why they gave them cured deer hides, he didn't know, but the boys thought it was the neatest thing ever for their rooms. As long as they were happy and it wasn't dangerous, he didn't really care that much.

Tifa had begun early preparations for the holiday dinner, his nose picked up on it; she was making that sweetbread dessert again. Then, there was the ham in the oven. _'Did we pick up a big enough ham? I think we did.'_ Cloud had gone out of his way to pick one up in Kalm, checking in on Elmyra as he did so to drop off Tifa's baked goods to the elderly lady.

The door opened and the children came in, holding their little ribbons; Marlene had put hers in her hair while the boys held theirs limply in their hand. Cloud grinned at them. "Put them on."

The boys looked at each other. "Where?"

"It's best on your arm, or maybe your wrist. Here..." He helped tie the little things on their arms. These weren't Aerith's ribbons, this was the one that he sometimes wore below it. The boys looked at them, still uncertain. Cloud lifted his hand, rolling a green materia between his thumb and index finger. "Know what this is? It's a Seal materia."

"A Seal materia?" Marlene repeated.

Cloud nodded. "Do any of you know what it's for?" They shook their heads. "It silences or puts opponents to sleep."

Denzel and Marlene listened patiently, but Cloud noticed Zeph inching away a little bit. "So...why are showing us this?" he asked quietly.

 _'I'm going to Hell for this...'_ The warrior popped it in his bracer, connected to a blue materia. "Because of your ribbons. Anyway, this blue materia is a Support materia. This one lets me hit more opponents with a spell, see?"

Denzel studied it. "Cool."

"Cloud..." Zeph stiffened.

"Watch..." He stood up and stretched out his hands. _**"Sleep."**_

The three of them jumped, Zeph shouting, but nothing happened besides a light tinkling sound. Cloud put his arms down and started laughing. "You should've seen your faces."

"It's broken!" Denzel argued.

Cloud shook his head. "It's not, these ribbons are special. I'm not gonna explain how we got them, not just yet, but Tifa and I remembered we had them somewhere in here." He popped the materia out of his bracer and rolled them around in his hand. "They'll keep you safe from a lot of things like that. You won't be invincible, but it'll give you a chance to run."

Marlene shifted her weight on her feet. "So it's pretty, and it keeps me safe? You shoulda given us ribbons sooner, Cloud!"

"He rubbed the back of his head. "We just forgot about them, Marlene." The battles were over, and the stuff stayed in boxes.

Denzel frowned. "How could you forget something like this, though? Is this from when you and Tifa went off to stop Sephiroth?"

"You guys stopped Sephiroth?" Zeph frowned up at Cloud. "It was you?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He seemed to be asking everyone in the room that question.

 _'I didn't need that compounding everything else.'_ Cloud shrugged. "Been a busy year." He looked at Denzel and Marlene, and motioned with his head towards the door. "Can I talk to him alone?"

"I need to get dressed, anyway. Come on, Marlene!" Denzel took her hand and they left for the bar, closing the door.

"You like keeping secrets from me, don't you?" Zeph asked accusingly.

"Tifa and I aren't looking for people to fawn over us...I guess Denzel and Marlene picked up on that." The warrior sat down on his stool again, playing with the materia in his hands. "What do you wanna know?"

"How'd you do it?"

Cloud smiled. "I did it with my friends. If it weren't for them I don't think we'd be alive right now."

Zeph nodded, mouth open a little in surprise. "Why did he make that large meteor?"

"He wanted to become a god, so he was gonna drop it on the Planet and then he would have absorbed all the Lifestream. It would've killed the Planet." the swordsman said solemnly.

"So you did it to save Gaia, huh?" His green eyes seemed to shine, just like Denzel's when he discussed it with him. He was sure what the reaction would be next, too.

Cloud shook his head. "Tifa and I mostly did it out of revenge. Not that living another day isn't nice, but..." He shrugged his shoulders. "We did the right thing, even if it wasn't _just_ for the greater good."

"Oh. Revenge?"

The warrior nodded. "We told you about Nibelheim a while back. Not everything, but I haven't told the other two everything yet, either..." He sighed heavily. _'Revenge and a prayer. We did it to release a prayer, too.'_

Zeph scratched the back of his head. "Marlene said somethin' about a flower girl saving us from the meteor, but I just remember white and green."

"...That was Holy. Our friend died praying to the planet to bring up Holy." He explained what had happened without getting too dark, something that was especially difficult considering the Jenova War was the epitome of dark subjects. "Well, now you know enough about what happened. Try and keep quiet about it, please."

Zeph nodded, eyeing the materia the warrior rolled in his hands. "You coulda just told us what a ribbon does, Cloud." he scolded.

"I wanted you to know it'd work." Cloud handed the Seal materia to the boy to examine. "...Sleep is the least dangerous spell to use. If the ribbons somehow lost their power, Tifa would kill me if I used silence or frog..." Or maybe not, if she wanted silence for a few hours, he thought to himself. They were low on curatives for those two things, though.

"You know I hate Sleep."

Cloud put a hand on Zeph's shoulder. "Wanna know a secret? I have things that terrify me, too."

"Like what?" The boy seemed skeptical.

Cloud gave a sheepish grin. "...I don't like small, enclosed spaces. Elevators are okay, but..." He remembered back to when he had to enter a tiny shack on Mt. Corel to flip a switch for a bridge to come down; the warrior had to take several deep breaths before entering the tight space. _'Four years in an enclosed space is enough for a lifetime.'_

"That's kinda hard to believe..."

The warrior shrugged. "It's true. I'm not fearless. But even if I'm confronted with something I'm afraid of, I have to push on."

Zeph considered his words a moment, then nodded his head. "Thanks for the ribbon, Cloud. I don't have to worry about something doing that to me again." He gave the materia back to his guardian.

The swordsman stood up and placed the orbs back into the locked box. "Glad you liked it, even if it's a little girly." He really didn't think that of the ribbons, but a young boy might.

Zeph pumped his arm with a smile. "I'll wear it to remind me of my sister!" He left the garage, leaving Cloud softly touching his pink ribbon on his left arm in thought. He rubbed the fabric with his thumb and index finger, his eyes distant as he stood in the chilly garage.

* * *

Resting at the counter Cloud tapped his fingers anxiously as Tifa and Penny worked on dinner; he had earlier tried to help as best he could with the preparations by peeling whatever kind of potatoes Tifa needed peeled or greens needing chopped.

He had to congratulate himself a little bit for the feat. Ask him to face down a Behemoth and Cloud can do it and make it look easy, ask him to cook and he was liable to burn the house down. The warrior could cook some scrambled eggs or roast meat over a campfire especially, but he considered that pretty good progress for someone who didn't know which vegetable was what almost five years ago.

Now, he waited for his father's entrance. Did he change much from the last time he saw him, would he be good with the kids? Would Tifa snap at him, would he? Cloud took a deep breath before slowly releasing it. How would he take Penny? _'I just don't know.'_

As he readjusted his Santa hat(That Marlene had so kindly placed back on his head after lunch) there was a knock at the door; the anxiety Cloud felt seemed to now pour out of the very walls of the bar. Tifa quietly looked over and gave him a nod before returning to her cooking, her face a mask hiding her emotions. _'Anxious and a little afraid. Or is that Penny?'_

Cloud walked up to the front door and opened it with his father predictably standing there in the twilight as he held a fabric bag in one hand; the warrior nodded and moved out of the way to let the man through. "...Merry Christmas." he mumbled shyly to his father.

His father huffed. "Merry Christmas to you, too, Cloud." The man was wearing a long, light brown trench coat, a newer one from the last time they met, and dark brown boots. The warrior noted his father's spiky hair seemed tamer than his own, owing to a haircut most likely. What surprised him most though were his eyes; they still held that glare from the first time they met, but something seemed almost tamed in them. He wondered if this was what others meant when they said his own eyes were expressive, because he could see whatever emotion his father was feeling despite the stony face. Not that he couldn't smell the emotions anyway, but it was something he noticed.

He was just as anxious as they were.

Cloud closed his eyes momentarily with a sigh, then nodded. "I'll take you to my office upstairs in a moment." The warrior went to fetch some water for the tea kettle, putting it on the only unoccupied burner on the stove before giving a Tifa gently squeeze on her shoulder. He turned back and motioned towards the stairs to follow him up.

"So, this is your place?" His father looked about the living area above the bar curiously as his son guided him towards the office. Cloud quietly nodded before opening a door and flicking a switch, the room having a single light above them and the still lit Christmas tree peacefully glowing on one side of the room.

He motioned for him to sit at the desk, Cloud sitting at the edge of the bed. The warrior glanced at the pathetic crib then back at his father, the man still looking around and taking in all the new scents. "...I think this'll have to be the baby's room." Cloud opened.

His father brought his eyes back to Cloud, then to the half constructed crib. "How far along is it?"

"We're on step ten, we'll get back to it after Christmas." Cloud mumbled, staring at the crib.

His father creased his brows as he looked up at his son. "Huh? No, I meant the baby!"

The warrior rubbed his forehead, his cheeks burning in embarrassment. "Oh. Halfway there." He looked back at the man who sat in his chair. "It's a girl."

"Do you have a name for her yet?"

"No, we haven't decided yet. We kind of want a...flowery name, though."

His father leaned back. "Flowers, huh?" He looked at the pictures on the desk, then the flowers that rested in the vase behind them. They were yellow and white, and he softly touched a petal. "I've never seen this kind of flower before."

Cloud answered him as Tifa peeked through the door with two mugs. "They're a type of lily a friend used to grow in her church in the slums. Even in the winter, they grow for some reason."

The man let out a short chuckle. "That's a good name."

"What is?" Tifa inquired as she handed a mug to Cloud, then cautiously to their guest as he turned to her voice.

"Lily." He glanced up into Tifa's eyes, the resemblance to Cloud's uncanny.

Tifa looked down, thinking a moment. "It's a happy name, isn't it?" Cloud hummed a concurrence. She looked back up, nodding. "Maybe..."

"...I like it, too." Cloud said quietly. _'Why didn't we think of that, instead of Rose or Dahlia? Maybe we wanted to avoid bringing it up.'_

His father sat quietly, sipping the offered tea as Tifa went back downstairs after being thanked for the drinks. Cloud looked over at him again, still tense; it was hard to truly bridge the gap between them when they were both reluctant to speak. "So how's Junon?"

The man glanced at his son as he sat the mug in his lap. "At first, I admit I wasn't very happy with the arrangement. It's so much different than the last twenty three years of mountainous, arboreal hell that I was used to." He sighed. "But, you know we have to roam out there from time to time or we go stir crazy. Well, I'm not sure about the ones in the city anymore, but that's another story."

He continued on after another sip. "I make it to Junon, and the first person I meet is that cat's handler, Reeve. Calm guy, introduced me to Shelke. Said she was gonna be one of my partners. I asked him why the hell he was going to have a ten year old teach me anything, and he just smiled." The older man snorted. "At first she drove me crazy with her quiet, monotone voice and her questions on this and that. But, it seemed she'd been through some bad things in her short life. I understand why Reeve partnered her with me, now. Shelke had to search for her humanity, too, after it was ripped from her."

Cloud nodded, quietly listening.

"A few days after I get to Junon and I'm already crabby. Then that meathead Barret barges into my room uninvited and tells _me_ how he's gonna shoot me in the head if I do anything funny. Then he tosses me a letter and tells me I better not get any ideas about his daughter before closing the door. About tossed the lamp on my nightstand at that hotheaded son of a bitch, but I was more curious about the letter."

The warrior hummed after a sip of tea. "Marlene's letter."

"...She's a sweet girl."

Cloud nodded, then heard a door open and heavy footsteps come towards the door. Barret's head came into view, the man looking at the warrior's father, who was giving a withering look back.

"Hirdthag, you best behave yourself when them kids come see you." Barret warned, though it wasn't quite as heavy a threat as Cloud had heard before.

 _'Hirdthag? That's an old fashioned name.'_

"Like you behave yourself when you nearly get us killed in a bust?" the werewolf retorted dryly. Cloud hid his smile with his mug. "The last time I was almost a victim of friendly fire."

Barret huffed and pointed at Hirdthag. "Like you hadn't socked me in the jaw when that dude got too close to me!"

"My fist slipped."

"My gun's gonna slip, see how sorry yo ass is then, yeh furry jerk!" Barret huffed and Cloud resisted the urge to laugh as the large gun man walked off.

Hirdthag looked back at his son. "I got him out of the way of danger, regardless. He was just a little sore." Cloud noticed he was grinning, and he couldn't help but do the same.

"You two are getting close, I think."

"Off to a good start, I'd say."

Cloud's father glanced at the door again, several pairs of eyes looking at him from the hallway. He stiffened a bit, as if Barret's threat was truly on his mind, then looked towards his son for answers.

Cloud motioned them to come in, that it was okay, that it was safe. Marlene and Denzel walked up to Hirdthag casually; obviously if Cloud was relaxed than they were fine. Zeph cautiously came forward, sheepishly walking up to the man.

"So you're Gramps?" Denzel asked, his guardian rubbing his face with one of his hands with a hissed sigh.

Hirdthag snorted. "...Gramps?" He started laughing, looking back and forth between the boy and Cloud. "If that's what I am to you, fine, I'm 'Gramps'." He dug into the bag he had brought after setting his mug down, three black boxes now in his hands. "I really didn't know what to get you kids. I don't know you well enough, yet." He sighed. "But, I hope that maybe next year I will. Until then, I guess some candy from Junon is a good start."

The children slowly took the boxes from the werewolf, a wrap of ribbon sealing the little boxes. Cloud shook his head. "You guys can have some after dinner. Some." he said firmly, not wanting to possibly have to use the Seal materia for real on them.

They each thanked him for the candies before leaving again to hide away their sweets; Zeph lingered a moment to look at both adults before walking away. Cloud sighed, pointing after the boy left.

"He's had a bad time with werewolves. Expect him to be pretty wary of you for a while."

Hirdthag shrugged. "Is he the same way with the one downstairs?"

"He was." He glanced at his father. "Her name's Penny." Cloud told the man about the young werewolf and Zeph's predicament in the sewers, Hirdthag nodding and telling him that Barret had mentioned Valdt.

"Life never gets dull for you anymore, does it?"

Cloud shook his head. "Not for a very long time." He stood up, sighing. "Let's go downstairs, it's almost time to eat."

Hirdthag followed suit, nodding. "Thank you."

The warrior looked back with a brow raised. "For what?"

"A second chance."


	49. Father and Son

The tension that had marred the afternoon had been broken somewhat as Hirdthag slowly warmed up to the family, the man being taken to this room or that room by Marlene or Denzel with Cloud supervising. Zeph was content to just watch the werewolf cautiously, though he was confident enough to answer his questions with the adults around.

He ended up telling the children old legends about Nibelheim's gods and heroes, the three children taking an interest in the stories woven about animal gods, Odin, and unnamed warriors that shaped the countryside with might and crafty words to their deities that sometimes ended up punishing them instead. Cloud and Tifa were familiar with many of the stories, but a few were new to their ears, and they listened with interest to the storyteller.

"When are you going back to Junon?" Tifa asked tentatively as she cleaned off the counter, the children back in their rooms. She was still hesitant to trust or forgive him, but she had to remind herself that her own transgressions had led to a lot of death and suffering in the past, too.

Hirdthag shrugged. "It was supposed to be a day trip, but with talk of more snow I'll probably have to stay in the city until the road is cleared."

The woman nodded. "I suppose we'll see you around Edge, then."

"Probably." He turned to Cloud. "Tomorrow, do you mind if I come over to talk?"

The warrior nodded. "If you can help put a crib together."

Hirdthag snorted humorously. "I guess Barret's having you do all the work."

Cloud shrugged. "I figure he'd like some time with Marlene."

They finally did put the crib together, Cloud hoping that he never had to put together one of those things again. His father had questions of his son as they completed it; why didn't he smell like a werewolf, who was the werewolf living in the WRO building? The former question brought about silence for several minutes before the warrior answered quietly, his father raising his brows. He didn't know Cloud had gone through the same process as some of the Junon thugs while trying to infiltrate their lab.

"How did you and Mom meet?" Cloud asked in a soft, inquisitive voice. He sat on the bed, eyes on the completed crib.

Hirdthag chuckled as he leaned on the wall next to the crib, a screwdriver in his hand. "We lived on opposite sides of a village in the Nibel area. Your mother was this radiant woman who made sewn crafts for extra income for her family, and I was from one of the wealthier families." He gave a smile to Cloud. "She was the most beautiful girl in the village, to me at least. I used to call her Solskin, 'Sunshine'. When I took notice of her, I began courting her. That, that wasn't easy." he sighed wistfully.

"Was she hard to get?"

The older man nodded. "Sunna thought it was some horrible joke I was playing on her. Her family wasn't anything special, and here's the firstborn of a well known family, trying to woo her. At first, she would yell at me to leave her alone, but it made her all the more desirable. A woman that pushed me away when I was flirting with her? She wasn't interested in what my family had. It was...refreshing."

Cloud snorted. "So you badgered her until she finally gave up?"

"Very funny, but not quite. I didn't get to save her from a dragon or anything heroic. My teenage brain sure wanted to. No, I just spent more time asking her about herself. What she liked, what she didn't. I'd tell her mine if she wouldn't, and sometimes she'd open up." He let a chuckle pass his lips. "When she told me her favorite color, I went out the next day and bought a dozen orange flowers for her. Sunna told me while she loved that shade of orange, her favorite flowers were in fact mountain rose."

Hirdthag looked down. "She opened up more after that, day after day. Then, after a year I asked to marry her. My family was furious considering her family only had a single plot of land." He scowled. "Backwards thinking fools. We aren't pawns to wealth. So, we ran off one night and eventually came to Nibelheim. I had enough money that I took with me that I considered _my_ inheritance to purchase a small house, and we settled down there. Sunna was already pregnant with you when that happened."

He looked up again, a sad smile on his face. "Those were the best three years of my life. And when I had to leave to protect you two, a part of me died." Hirdthag nodded, concurring with his own words. "And when Sunna died, and I had thought you had too..." He sighed, shaking his head. Hirdthag stood up, walking towards the door before he turned back to his son. "Sunna lives through you, Cloud. You and that baby growing in Tifa. Keep them safe, please." He left, his footsteps echoing down the staircase.

Cloud watched as he disappeared, then eyed the crib again. _'Keep them safe...I will.'_

* * *

The next night Penny and Ithey took their leave into the night cautiously, the two thanking their hosts for keeping them over the holiday. Cloud escorted them as he began his patrol, watching for trouble as he took them towards a less populated area to begin their journey back home. The air bit at his face, and he considered patrolling during the day instead in the weeks to come.

"Thanks again for the boots," Ithey said as they traveled through the network of alleys and roads.

Cloud shrugged. "We weren't using them. Do you have enough room in your pack for Penny's clothing?"

The teen took stock of the bag as best he could in the darkness, then glaced at his mate. "She's not wearin' much as it is. I think it'll be fine."

Penny was humming to herself, wearing the long green dress she brought with her and holding Ithey's deer pelt, her boots crunching in the snow. "It's funny, I don't usually go out in winter like this."

Cloud glanced at her before scanning the street again. "Oh?"

"Well, you saw how much clothing we had when we first met...and I wanna stay warm."

Ithey snorted. "So do I."

Penny grinned. "He stays inside or tends to the fire when I'm out in the woods."

The other teen rolled his eyes. "I won't have to now, with some actual foot protection."

"I couldn't imagine staying like that for months at a time." Cloud mumbled. They walked further into the darkness, the streets they chose mostly abandoned on account of the chilly air and snow. The warrior picked up the sound of crunching snow behind them and snapped his head towards the sound, narrowing his eyes. He saw nothing, and cautiously walked towards the edge of the building they were passing.

Peeking behind the corner he spied footprints in the snow, and he sniffed the air. _'He's nearby.'_ Cloud waited a minute to see if anyone would look back at him, but left disappointed as he continued his escort of the couple, deciding to go further out to hopefully keep the detective at bay.

"Everything alright?" Ithey asked as they continued on, noticing how quiet their friend had become.

Cloud sighed. "That detective is nearby. He might be watching us right now." he said in a quiet voice.

Penny bit her lip and looked about, worried. "Doesn't he have anywhere better to go in this weather?"

"He's probably interested in me, not you." Cloud heard crunching again, and he frowned. "I'll keep him busy. If I don't see you before you leave Edge...take care."

The two wished him the same before walking onward to some dark corner of Edge, hopefully out of eyesight of others. He stood in the path, watching for the detective to make his appearance, shivering slightly under his robe.

Cloud heard approaching, crunching footsteps, then a pause. The warrior watched ahead, eyes narrowing as the seconds turned into minutes; he decided to make a move towards the assumed hiding spot. Walking as quietly as he could he tensed as he reached the corner of the building, only to be surprised by nothing. He frowned.

 _'He better not be stalking me regularly now. I'll find his employers and then Reeve can deal with them.'_ Cloud stomped through the snow towards his friends, his Wutaian robe keeping some of the chill at bay. No, he wasn't followed this time. The scent was faint enough and crunching snow couldn't be heard behind him anymore. He sighed in relief, not wanting to deal with him in the cold.

Up ahead he made out their figures in the distance, Penny going at a quick trot as they came closer to the outskirts of Edge. Cloud silently wished them good luck, then took a turn down another alley. He would have loved to do the same as Penny, but with a detective in his business he would have to be wary of when and where he decided he had to stalk the city in his warmer, furrier form.

He picked up a suspicious scent not long after and readied his sword, wondering if tonight might be a little more interesting than it started. His boots crunched onward through the snowy cityscape, ready for anything.

* * *

The New Year passed uneventfully, Cloud, Tifa and Barret taking the children to see the fireworks display that was held at the edge of the city. Barret returned to Junon with the promise of seeing them again the week after next for the little wedding party that was set up; Tifa had been planning this and that with a gleeful Yuffie whenever she had the chance. Cloud was woefully oblivious to what the two women plotted most of the time, his attention on the detective and Reggs, and how to keep the teen safe from discovery.

Occasionally Tifa would come to him, asking if he liked one food or color more than another, or ask him to try on a dress shirt to see if it fit. Cloud would scoff at the clothing and Tifa would tell him it wasn't that fancy, his lover making him smile when she mentioned how good he looked when he dressed up a little bit.

As the days went by he noticed an anxiety in the two boys that was absent from Marlene, and he chalked it up to school work at first. The two would jump at the offer for help with their homework when he could set time aside in the afternoon, though he wasn't sure how helpful he actually was. He didn't have much time to dwell on it however, as he watched the detective and kept up with Reggs.

To Cloud, it was a thorn in his side to have yet another sneaky detective about, the man being observed here and there on his street or as he did patrols in the evening. Once in a while he would hide from a high perch to watch Marshall with Cait Sith as he walked away from the WRO building and towards his agency, the temptation to get Yuffie to break in almost getting to him. _'Maybe later. Or maybe I can hire Evan.'_ He had to chuckle at the thought.

"Denzel? Are you ready?"

Denzel ran towards Cloud in the garage after grabbing his rod. "Yeah!"

Cloud pressed the button to open the door that lead to the alley. "You did your homework, right?"

"I did it yesterday, Cloud. You told me if I wanted to join you I had to do it first."

The warrior nodded. He had agreed to let the boy shadow him after lunch today, Denzel's insistence on joining him a little perplexing considering the cold. Cloud decided to take Denzel on a safer route, not wanting anything too bad to happen while his ward was with him. He left Cait Sith at the bar, the cat giving a small grin and a wave before the warrior left.

The two left the garage, the shade crisp but not particularly biting today. Cloud wore a black coat and scarf instead of his robe, figuring he would have no use for it today, and First Tsurugi hung from his back. Denzel wore the bulky jacket Barret had gifted him, and slung his rod over his shoulder. They were silent for a time as Cloud escorted him through the patrol, both watching for trouble. The sun was waning in the west, the weak light welcome whenever they left the shade.

Denzel glanced up at his guardian. "Did you and Tifa come up with a name for the baby yet?" he asked in a low voice.

"We were thinking Lily would be nice."

Denzel grunted at the answer and fell into silence again. Cloud frowned at the scent of anxiety on the boy, something he noticed from time to time lately. _'Is something wrong? Did he and Natsumi have a little break up, or is it because of school?'_ He cleared his throat. "Has everything been going well with Natsumi?"

The boy nodded. "She said she was gonna go with me to the wedding party."

"Good...How about school?"

Denzel shrugged. "Same as always."

Cloud's frown deepened. Denzel knew if something was on his mind he could talk to him, but he was holding back. They walked further, in the direction of the school, the warrior paying less attention to his surroundings and more on his thoughts.

"Cloud, how come you like the Fenrir wolf so much?"

He glanced down, raising a brow. "He's powerful, tenacious, and ready to take on a god." he said matter of factly. "I've always liked him, even when I was a kid. I guess it's rather ironic these days, now that I think about it."

Denzel let out a short giggle. "Yeah, I guess it is."

 _'He's avoiding something.'_ Cloud inhaled sharply as he observed the alley ahead, then looked back at Denzel with a serious face. "Denzel...If something is bothering you, you know you can talk to me about it, right?"

Denzel nodded, his anxious scent flaring.

"So, what's wrong?"

The boy stopped and looked down at his feet a few moments, then back up into Cloud's eyes. "Nothing, really."

The warrior snorted and shook his head. "Do you really think I believe that?"

"No..."

Cloud crossed his arms and looked down at the boy. Sometimes he found it surprising how he had changed over the years since he had brought him home, a trembling mess oozing black pus from his forehead to a pre-teen that was beginning the path to becoming a self sufficient adult. "I'm waitin'."

Denzel shifted his weight from foot to foot, his messy hair pressed down with a knit cap. "It...You and Tifa are having a baby."

Cloud's cheeks turned pink, what about the baby? "This isn't about _why_ Tifa's pregnant, is it?" Is this why Denzel was anxious? What did he hear?

The boy furrowed his brow and shook his head. "I already know about that."

"What?"

"Y-you know...kissing?" Denzel looked away, uncomfortable. "I mean like, those gross mouth kisses..."

Cloud almost laughed as he leaned against the wall of a building. He figured it was a better guess than he had right before puberty, in fact he hadn't thought about it much at all. He had learned the secrets of reproduction during his stint in the Shinra army, the younger cadets getting a rudimentary education to keep them from being completely ignorant. "Kissing." he repeated with a smile.

"That's not right, is it?"

Cloud shook his head. "Nope."

Denzel looked up, confused. "Then how come Tifa's pregnant?"

"Uh...I'll tell you after your next birthday. You and Zeph." The warrior's face was red, he was wondering exactly how he should tell them both about the birds and the bees, the school obviously hadn't put that into the curriculum yet. _'It's only been open for so long...'_

"What about Marlene?"

Cloud shook his head quickly. "That's Tifa's job!" Denzel seemed bewildered, as if some terrible secret was being hidden from him, and his scent confirmed it. Cloud sighed. "It's nothing bad at all, it's just embarrassing to talk about."

"Oh." Denzel looked around a moment, sniffling before bringing his vivid blue eyes back to his guardian. "Well, Zeph and I-"

"Hey!"

Cloud snapped his head toward the voice, a young woman with dark hair and a bright red coat approaching them in the darkening alley. She stopped ten feet from them, and he stood from the wall and waited for her to speak.

"You're the Edge hunter?"

Cloud nodded. "Do you need something?" There was a familiar scent to her, something from last year that he couldn't put his finger on.

Her green eyes lit up. "I do! There's a lot of sightings of you, but you're kinda hard to find. Sometimes you're out during the day, sometimes you're out at night." The woman moved her head side to side, loosening her neck.

The warrior narrowed his eyes. "You've been looking for me? Why?" He tensed and stood in front of Denzel protectively.

The woman chuckled. "Why do you think? You messed with a crime lord's chemistry lab."

"I'm a lot harder to kill than you think." Cloud growled as he took his sword off his back. "You don't stand a chance against me."

"Soldiers are hard to kill, and so are werewolves. But I reckon a bullet to your head should do the trick on both of you. No witnesses!" The woman came closer, and Cloud raised his blade, searching the woman for a gun; there was none. His eyes widened as he came to the realization she wasn't the one he should be worried about, the sound of a cocking rifle coming from behind him. _'She was a distraction...!'_

Cloud heard a gun go off and a surprised yelp, and a burning sensation tore through the side of his torso. Snapping his head back a man laid bare on the ground with a rifle haphazardly laying next to him, as if hit by a strong gust of wind. Turning his head back he growled at the woman as she desperately took out her weapon, all too late.

She was knocked to the ground by a fist a second later, then smashed into a wall by her neck like a rag doll as Cloud's instincts flared. The smell of her blood and the scent of her terror drove him over the edge as he dropped her to the ground and decapitated her with a quick downward thrust of his greatsword before glaring at the exposed, recovering man on the other side of the alley. That familiar heat flared in his chest, and he flexed his fingers.

Cloud clumsily held up his sword and leaped towards the assailant as he tried to scramble away, hitting him as hard as he could with the broad side of First Tsurugi, leaving an imprint in the dumpster as it let out a low gonging noise. He kicked the nearly dead assassin with his boot, hearing a satisfying crunch as his foot came down several times on his chest. He shakily put his sword back in its sheath, then closed his eyes and tried to push the heat down, tried to let it pass. _'Not here, not here...'_ Cloud attempted to meditate the change away, taking deep breaths of cold air. He couldn't block out that woman's threat against his child, however.

He groaned and winced as his clothing tightened about him, and he barely had enough time to loosen his sheath harness as tearing sounds echoed in his growing ears. Cloud growled and shook the tattered clothing from his body, agitated that these two would-be assassins had thought to murder Denzel, much less himself; destroying another set of clothing was just icing on the cake.

He blinked and looked around for witnesses but saw none; Denzel was crouched down, back to him and holding his head. Cloud walked over to him on all fours, his claws clacking softly on the hard surface. _**"Denzel..."**_ His voice was rough and low and slow, but he was pleased with the progress he had made over the last month as the children tried to get him to talk when they coerced him to play with them like this. Short and simple sentences were fine and all he needed.

"I know you and Tifa told me not to..." Denzel whispered before he let out a pained hiss, as if his Geostigma was acting up again. He rubbed his head with a hand.

 _ **"Huh...?"**_

Denzel looked at his guardian, then looked down at his rod. He moved his palm, exposing a purple glowing orb in a materia socket. Cloud grinned, that was why the other assailant only grazed him. He could kiss Yuffie for giving Denzel that materia for his birthday.

 _ **"It hurt, didn't it?"**_

"Yeah." Denzel sighed and looked back at Cloud. "What do we do now?"

Cloud exhaled through his nose and looked about. Two bodies and shredded clothing everywhere. He went up to the woman and sniffed about, finding a wallet that he tore out of a pocket. _**"Home. Hop on."**_ He scooped up the wallet in his paw and placed it in front of Denzel.

"W-what about those two, Cloud?" the boy inquired as he took his first look at the bodies before taking the woman's wallet. Cloud wondered if it affected him all that much after seeing so many dead during the Geostigma outbreak. Perhaps, he thought, Denzel learned how to push away his emotions in the face of death like so many in this era.

 _ **"Yuffie, Reeve."**_ He replied. Denzel nodded, then charged towards Cloud's ruined clothing, pocketing several things as the werewolf observed him with an anxious feeling growing in his chest. Whatever he was doing, he hoped the boy would hurry.

As soon as Denzel was secure on his back and gripping his fur Cloud took off towards the bar in the waning afternoon, pausing here and there when he heard nearby people. Denzel held on tightly, egging Cloud to go faster in a quiet voice. The werewolf could hear the smile on his lips as he pressed himself further, and despite himself he had to smirk. As worried about getting caught as he was, he was having a little fun, too.

Cloud heard a few shouts on the way home, and he hoped it was someone who merely glanced towards the alley as he passed by. He huffed as he charged forward, glancing this way and that. Slowing down at a junction he peeked around the corner and trotted towards the bar as it came into view. "We made it!" Denzel whispered.

The werewolf dashed the last fifteen yards but stopped as three children came into view, skidding to a halt in front of them as they too stopped in their playful jog from the other side of the alley. Zeph, Natsumi, and Vits, wide eyed and backing away towards the wall. Natsumi let out a scream, Zeph covering her mouth as soon as he recognized who was barreling towards them. Vits looked the two up and down, mouth agape. "Ah..."

Denzel held an embarrassed grimace on his face before giving a wave. "Uh, I can explain..." Cloud whined, and the boy looked down at him before hopping off. "inside."

Zeph let go of Natsumi. "Are you two crazy?" he hissed.

"Denzel, you kept this from me?!" Natsumi nearly yelled. Cloud pushed the sliding door up, waiting for the children to pass through.

Denzel took her hand and led them inside, Cloud entering last. He groaned as he plopped down, panting after his strenuous journey home, he hadn't had the chance to run that fast and that long in a while. Vits cautiously stepped closer, watching him. Cloud looked back at him, hoping the boy wasn't as upset as Natsumi.

"I knew Evan was hiding something from me." He glared at Zeph and Denzel. "And you two, also."

Denzel scratched the back of his head. "We promised not to tell..."

Natsumi slapped him on the face, her legs shaking. "You should have said something!" She looked back at Cloud as he watched, and she shrunk back a little. He frowned.

 _ **"It's my fault."**_ He glanced at Zeph. _**"Tifa...?"**_

Zeph gave a quiet nod before running to the bar door. Denzel sat and leaned against Cloud as the werewolf laid his head down on an arm, sighing. The boy took a few things out of his coat pockets, placing them next to Cloud's arm.

"I know you're mad at me, Natsumi, I'm really sorry. But I said I wouldn't tell anyone." Denzel looked down at his feet, tapping his fingers on his rod.

Vits was still studying the werewolf, crouching down to get a better look. "I'm more upset at Evan for lying to me." Cloud glanced the boy's way, making eye contact for a moment before returning his gaze to the door.

Natsumi huffed. "You kept making excuses...Why didn't you tell me...? Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do!" Denzel stood up and crossed his arms. "But I'm not gonna break my promises."

Natsumi was obviously still mad at him, her fists squeezed tight. The door to the bar opened, Tifa looking at the four as they turned and looked back. She had a small pile of clothing in her hand. "I don't know what happened, but maybe you three can go into Denzel's room and talk there."

The girl stomped her foot. "I don't wanna talk!" Natsumi stomped out of the garage and into the bar, and Cloud couldn't help but cringe.

Tifa sighed. "I still have to run the bar. Give Cloud some privacy, guys." She looked back at Cloud and approached, releasing his sheath holster, the sword clattering to the ground. "We'll talk later." She left after leaving the clothing on the wooden stool, the two boys leaving with her and giving parting looks to the werewolf.

Cloud stood up and changed back before quickly dressing himself, then collecting the items Denzel had scooped up from his clothing, making him smile; it was his wallet and cellphone, and the WRO card he yet again forgot to stuff with the rest of his cards. He put them into his pants pockets, then put First Tsurugi against the wall.

Cloud made his way into the bar and scrubbed his hands clean of filth before heading upstairs to call Yuffie after grabbing Cait Sith and telling him what happened; the robot made his way to the garage to check the wallet for ID. Cloud called several times in the dark office, looking out the window and letting out a soft curse as he waited for her to pick up.

"This better be good, Spike. I'm on a date-"

He interrupted her. "Someone tried to kill me and Denzel."

"What?! Who?" she demanded. Cloud explained what happened earlier, the young ninja growling into the phone. "You told Reeve, right?"

"Cait Sith is looking over the wallet I took right now." He told Yuffie the nearest intersection to the alley the bodies and clothing were at. "With that detective wandering around..."

"Yeah yeah, I'll get on that. Try'n be careful if you go out again, Spike." Yuffie hung up, and Cloud groaned softly, listening to the sound of the bar and the muffled voices of Vits, Zeph and Denzel in the room down the hall. How much danger were they in now?

Cloud eventually took Vits home and explained what happened to Evan, the detective anxiously rubbing the back of his neck as the brunette glowered at him next to Cloud. They talked outside for a few minutes, Evan's eyes widening at the mention of assassins from Junon. The warrior mentioned it might be for the best if Vits stayed away from the bar in case he looked like a soft target, though they were still welcome to the party next week.

Evan promised he would see if anyone he knew in Junon could give any information that he could give to Cloud, the warrior thanking him for his help. He left again for the bar, watching the street. Cloud caught a glimpse of that detective again, walking down the street. He wondered if Marshall had seen him or not, or if he worked for the crime lord responsible. He narrowed his eyes before sneaking into the bar unnoticed by the strange detective, wondering if he should scare the information out of him one night for all the trouble he was.

Dinner had been a subdued affair as Cloud and Denzel told the rest of the family what had happened during the patrol. Because of it, Cloud and Tifa wanted the children to be extremely careful as they went about their business; it was only a matter of time before someone found where he lived. How they hadn't yet neither of them knew, but they would have to be extra vigilant in the mean time.

* * *

Cloud knocked on the bedroom door, opening it as he heard a muffled voice telling him to come in. Denzel sat on the edge of his bed, giving Cloud an inquiring look. The spiky haired man sat down next to the boy, hands on his knees. "Hey."

"Hey..."

Cloud shifted his weight on the bed a little. "You did really good today, Denzel." He looked over and gave the boy a smile. "I would have been a goner if you hadn't been there."

Denzel grinned at the praise. "You taught me to be aware of my surroundings, and I looked behind me just in time."

The warrior nodded. "I should have been paying more attention. How did you know how to use the materia?" he inquired.

The boy shrugged. "It just...happened. I felt it and I thrust my rod at him, and he just toppled over like I hit him in the chest." He rubbed his forehead. "My head hurt a lot after that."

Cloud chuckled. "It gets easier as you use it more and as you get older. That kind of materia doesn't cause as much of a mental strain as Magic and Summon materia, but since you're so young..."

"Which causes the least trouble?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Command materia. I've seen kids in the slums use those with no problems."

Denzel nodded, then sighed. "Natsumi was really mad."

"Yeah...Maybe she'll come around in a couple of days." Cloud hoped she would, at least. He considered her a sweet girl, but whenever she was too upset Natsumi had a tendency to push people away. He cleared his throat, straightening his back. "You never told me what was bothering you."

Denzel stiffened, and looked towards the door. "Yeah...Um, you and Tifa are having a baby. Zeph and I are happy about it, but..."

"But what?"

Denzel sighed and looked up at Cloud. "She'll be...yours and Tifa's."

Cloud blinked. "Right...?"

"We just...you and Tifa adopted us, and..." he trailed off, looking down at his feet.

"You think that means we'll love you less, because you were born from different parents?" Denzel looked back up at Cloud, his brow furrowed. He gave a shy nod. Cloud put an arm around his shoulders, bringing him close. "I told you before, Denzel...to me, you're my son. Zeph too. Tifa and I won't love the three of you less just because we're gonna have a child by blood."

"It's still a little scary...How do I know it won't be different later on?"

"Did it change when Zeph moved in? We had to spend time bonding with him, but we never cared less about you and Marlene." He looked down at his knees. "Tifa and I are gonna have to focus on the baby for a while, and it might bother you. They're a lot of work, and...I'm anxious, too."

"You are?" Denzel played with his thumbs.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. I have no idea what to do with a baby...I guess Tifa'll have to order me around." He let out a short chuckle. "I'm gonna be a very clueless father." He looked back at Denzel. "You're a big part of this family, Denzel. You helped keep it together and you alerted me to this." He held out the arm his father had scratched almost a year ago. "You won't ever be replaced, you'll just have another sibling."

Denzel looked down and leaned into Cloud, the warrior squeezing his shoulders. "Another sibling..."

"Yeah."

Denzel hugged his guardian tight, and Cloud returned it. "Thanks, Cloud."

* * *

"How are you going to patrol if those gangsters are searching for you now?" Tifa whispered as they laid together in bed. She was on her side, a hand on her swelling belly. Cloud had his own, protective hand laying on hers.

He shrugged his shoulder. "Very carefully." Cloud touched a spike of hair. "Maybe I'll have to dye my hair..."

Tifa shook her head with a small smile on her face. "Your eyes still glow. There's barely any former Soldiers left on the planet as it is..."

"I guess you're right. Reeve and Yuffie are gonna give me any information they get in the next couple of days, Cait Sith said they're having their people look into it." He sighed, looking away, then back at Tifa. "Denzel was a real life saver."

She bit her lip. "He's lucky that materia only gave him a headache at his age. I guess with the way things are going, they're going to need to know how to use it..."

"I'm not happy about it either, but I think we can trust them with it if we just go slowly." He shifted on his pillow a little bit. "I should have taught them how to train their mind this summer..." he mumbled.

"They're growing up too fast."

Cloud sighed heavily, giving her cheek a gentle rub. "Yeah. One year they're just doing schoolwork like normal kids, now they know how to defend themselves acceptably with weapons." He returned his hand to Tifa's warm belly, and glanced down at it a moment. "If I catch any of those bastards near the bar..."He was the alpha and he had to protect his mate and children, or so his instincts demanded of him. Not that he wasn't in full agreement with them, of course, but sometimes they wanted a more savage response than he would have been pleased with some time ago.

"Do you think they'll find out?" she whispered.

"I hope not. If they do I'm sending you all into hiding, far away from the cities." Cloud said firmly. "There's no way I'd risk them capturing any of you." He wondered where would be safe. _'It's not like I can lock them away or stuff them in a cave until everything blows over.'_

Tifa tried to protest, but Cloud quietly interrupted her. "I know you wanna protect Seventh Heaven, Tifa. But you're pregnant. You and the baby come before the bar." He wasn't going to argue with her. He gave a smirk. "I know you're about as stubborn as I am, but...please, let us watch over you until you give birth." he pleaded.

She blew air out of her nose forcefully, and after a moment nodded. "Sometimes I forget that it might get in the way..."

"Teef, it's alright. You aren't helpless, we all know that." Cloud shuffled closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Keep the baby safe, and we'll keep you safe." he whispered in a gentle voice. He kissed her forehead as he traced his fingers along her back.

Tifa let out a soft huff, smiling as she ran her fingers through the side of his scalp. "Alright. But you better be careful out there, too."

He closed his eyes and nuzzled Tifa. "I'll do my best, Teef." He was determined to protect her and their unborn baby, and when he found who was responsible for the mishap that afternoon he promised himself they would pay.


	50. I Got A Bad Feelin'

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

"Reggs..."

There was sweet blood and fabric in his mouth and shouts in the distance. He took deep, heavy breaths, his eyes refocusing as his mind cleared from the rage that had blinded him seconds ago. The scent of blood, flesh and terror overpowered any of the usual scents of the makeshift city. He looked over, a familiar girl looking at him wide eyed, hands over her head as she crouched down several feet from him. He turned his head towards her and sniffed.

"Reggs, it's me, Sophia."

 _ **'Sophia...'**_

He let out a little whine, bringing his head down, and Sophia lowered her arms and said something he couldn't quite make out. Reggs glanced at the mess at his feet, the remains of their attacker; he had almost been torn in half and his face was unrecognizable. Reggs' head moved up and towards the street, there were angry people with weapons coming closer. Silver weapons. He started to back away. _**'I need to get out of here.'**_

Reggs charged down the nearest alleyway he could find, and he heard Sophia yelling something, maybe at him, maybe at them. He kept running, scaring any passerbys in the alley and getting a nose full of that spray, making him slow down and gasp for air after knocking the bastard down. He crawled to another alley, the other end blocked with a chain-link fence. Reggs hid behind a dumpster, hoping he could recover before the mob caught up with him.

Who was he kidding, he mused. His life was over because someone thought they could push him around and steal away Sophia after stabbing him in the gut with a knife. If it was silver it might have worked, but instead the man was mauled to death by an enraged werewolf. He panted and sneezed until he heard footsteps getting closer and closer. He stilled, waiting for the mob to descend on him.

A man rounded the dumpster and looked down at him with a metal rod pointed at Reggs' snout. He moved his head away, and the red headed man drawled out a string of words as he continued to point the end of that rod closely to his neck. He swore there was some tickle of electricity on his fur that made a chill run down his spine.

"Reggs?"

He knew that voice. Reggs let out a short whine, then he heard the footsteps come closer and the red head looked towards the source of the sound. It was Venx, and he was looking at him with a suspicious glare. He said something harsh, but he didn't quite understand, so he cocked his head after the red head moved his rod away from his neck. Venx sighed and rubbed his face, then said something else and "Cloud". His ears came forward as he sat up and leaned his shoulder on the brick wall of his hiding place.

Venx crouched down next to him, eyeing him nervously and saying something else. Reggs could tell he was upset. The other man motioned towards Reggs while talking to Venx, and he replied back after a moment, then something was said to make Regg's friend stiffen. Venx pursed his lips, then shook his head. Reggs really wished he could understand what they were trying to say. Just a few words here and there was all he could manage.

They stayed there like that for a while, people passing them by in search of the murderous werewolf that just wanted to protect his sister. The man in the dark suit kept watch at the entrance of the alley, somehow keeping others at bay. Who was he? Reggs kept his head down and occasionally whined, getting a remark out of his friend. Eventually Venx stood up and walked towards the entrance of the little alley as footsteps approached, several familiar voices coming to Reggs' ears.

Cloud popped his head around the corner of the dumpster with a frown. He unfolded an old blanket and placed it over Reggs and then took a step back, obviously waiting for an explanation. Reggs changed back after a moment and gripped the blanket as the cold swept over him, using a corner of the dark fabric to wipe the blood from his face before looking up at the warrior.

"What happened?" Cloud demanded. Reggs' friends congregated behind him.

Reggs ran a dirty hand through his hair. "He tried to take Sophia." he said quietly. "When I tried fighting him off he stabbed me, and I..." He looked down, his hands shaking. "I didn't-"

"Let's get you outta here."

Reggs stood up, holding the blanket over his naked body. "It doesn't matter, there were witnesses."

Cloud shoved a plastic bag into the teenager's hands. "We'll deal with the fallout later."

"Hey, I'm still here, yo."

Cloud turned to the red head as he approached and sighed heavily. "I'll owe you, Reno."

Reno grinned as he pulled his phone out. "The great Cloud Strife, in my debt." He got a groan in response.

They turned around and Cloud motioned for Reggs' friends to give him some privacy. He looked at the three in turn. "Think you can help me get him into the bar?"

"Dunno. A couple of people that know him saw what happened." Janus replied.

Venx scratched his head. "Can't stay here until it's dark, though."

Reno waved his hand after putting his phone away. "We got this."

Reggs popped out from behind the dumpster in a big hoody and jeans, sporting the most defeated look he could muster under the hood. "I'm freaking dead."

"Not as dead as that guy you mauled, yo."

"Don't remind me..." He looked down.

Cloud guided the group through a series of alleyways that took them away from the scene and towards the bar, and people were congregating towards the alley where the mauling happened. Cloud took them through the garage, and Reno left them with a mock salute.

He lead them through the garage and into the first floor guestroom, the room furnished with two beds and a couch. Cloud took Regg's arm and brought him upstairs. "You're filthy, and you smell like blood. Here's the bathroom..." He left the teen and then came back a minute later after rummaging through a chest in his bedroom. He handed him some more clothing, pajamas. "We keep some clothing around in case our friends show up unprepared." was the answer to the unsaid question Reggs had on his lips.

Cloud left him to fend for himself and went into Marlene's room to collect Cait Sith after saying hello to the girl before going downstairs to talk to the other teens. He sat on the bed across from the couch they sat on after entering the room. "Who saw him?" The cat sitting in his lap stayed still, listening.

Alann cleared his throat. "One of the girls in a class he goes to said she heard a commotion in the alley and watched as he...did that." he said flatly. "Another claimed to see it too, I think it was a neighbor of yours."

Cloud assumed it wasn't Evan, or he would have heard from him. There were probably more than those two, anyway. "That's not including the dozen or so people that probably saw him run away."

"Correct. Or whoever else saw it but we haven't spoken to. Ah, there was another one of his classmates, but he ran off before I could chat."

Janus leaned on the arm of the couch and tapped his fingers nervously. "Guess he can't go to school anymore."

"Might have people with pitchforks and torches at the WRO building, with all those rumors about." Venx sighed.

Cloud rubbed his face. He really didn't need this right now, the wedding party was in a couple of days and now he had to deal with this. He took out his phone and messaged Yuffie. "I suppose I'm going to have to pretend I'm on the hunt for him now."

"Where's he gonna stay?" Venx asked.

"He can stay the night." Cloud replied. "It's not like they'll look for him here."

"His father might." Alann said.

"Then he can come here and talk to him." He put Cait Sith down next to him. "I gotta help Tifa. Babysit these guys for a bit, please."

Cait Sith lazily waved his hand. "Och course." Two of the three teens jumped at the voice.

Cloud left the gawking teens to help Tifa with an early dinner rush, gossip floating through the tables about a werewolf on the loose who killed a man in front of a little girl. Some of the stories became outlandish as patrons drank a little too much Corel wine, of the beast leaping onto buildings to get away from the scene of the crime. _'Maybe if he went through the same crap I did, he could do that.'_

He heard Reggs descend the steps and turned to see him go into the guest room. Cloud finished cleaning the table he stood next to and continued to the next, then went back to the guest room. Reggs was laying on the bedside, legs on the floor, eyes staring at the still ceiling fan.

"I'm so freaking dead."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "No you're not. It was self defense."

He moved his eyes to meet Cloud's. "You tell that to the mob that's looking for me."

"You're staying the night. It'll give us a chance to think..." He pinched the bridge of his nose. _'Why do things have to keep happening? I need a real vacation after everything settles down.'_

"I bet your dad's gonna be at the front of that mob." Janus jabbed.

"Shut up, Janus."

"This would happen to tarnish your family's reputation." Alann mused. "A councilman's son is a werewolf who just killed a man. That's quality gossip."

Cloud looked back at Alann. "He's a councilman?"

Cait Sith shrugged. "I guess he had other reasons to get Reggs out of the house."

"Why didn't you three tell me?" Cloud asked.

Reggs sighed. "It doesn't matter. I wasn't about that crap, anyway." He swallowed hard. "Politics is nothing but a popularity contest, especially in a world like this."

Cloud nodded, feeling the same way. Anything other than basic rules, regulations and taxes and he shirked it after the hell Shinra brought. "We're gonna close the bar soon. Just stay in here for now." He left to assist Tifa again, the bar quieting down after another hour. Cloud went to close the door after the last patron, but a rod blocked the motion and Reno's grinning face looked back from the wide crack. Cloud opened the door, letting Reno and Rude in. "What are we in for?"

The two made their way to the front of the bar to sit, Cloud joining them. They asked for beers and Tifa complied in silence before leaning on her side of the counter to listen.

"People were freakin' out pretty bad, and a few tried to get answers from the WRO considering all the rumors, yo." He drank from his glass. "They have some peacekeepers out in front of the building now."

Rude finished a sip of his beer. "Some are asking about that kid by name."

Reno nodded. "We got people to clear away from that mess he made, gave some bad information about which way he went, who he actually was. The WRO is probably still cleanin' it up." He glanced at Cloud. "There's no mobs aimed for the bar, so you should be good for the night."

Cloud grunted, chin resting on his knuckles. "I wondered why Sophia was targeted, but I guess it makes sense now..."

"Because of their dad." Reno remarked.

"Yeah." Cloud closed his eyes. He had gone by the scene and caught a familiar scent. What was it? "I guess we'll have more information tomorrow." He opened his eyes and looked at Reno and Rude. "Thanks for helping me out."

Reno waved his hand in a dismissive fashion. "You've been watchin' over Evan when we can't."

"What are you going to do about the Junon gang looking for you?" Rude asked suddenly.

Cloud glared at him, then sighed. They're Turks, they can find out just about anything. "Kill them before they kill me."

"Sounds thrilling."

"You're welcome to join..." Cloud said in an offhand manner.

Rude smirked. "I might take you up on it."

"Oh." Reno put a hand in his jacket and pulled out a few items. "That kid's crap. Not that it matters 'cause his name is already gonna be on everyone's lips, but...can't be too careful, yo."

Cloud took the items. "Thanks a lot."

They left after they finished their drinks, promising to call the bar if they found anything else. Cloud helped Tifa with her dinner preparation after sweeping the front of the bar, picking up or crouching down for whatever she needed.

"He's staying the night?"

"He'll probably be killed if he steps foot out of the bar."

Tifa nodded as she turned on a burner, then sighed. "What if they find out about you...? I know you aren't as worried because Reeve runs the WRO, but he can't control those people out there and what they think."

Cloud looked over at her. "I remember when we decided to go with making a bar when we came back to our suspended realities...I said, if it doesn't work out we can always try something else."

She laughed humorlessly. "At this point, Cloud? Where else could we go, what could we do?"

"Maybe a village instead of a city again. We're both still young and strong, right? We could guard it." he said. The idea wasn't half bad to him, he had to admit. The thought of being closer to the wilderness also sounded nice.

"We're going to have a baby soon. I think that would take up a lot of my time for a while." Tifa looked down at the slowly heating oil in the pan. "And if they found out about you, it would be like..."

Cloud shook his head as he finished taking a large bowl out of a cabinet. "It won't ever be like that, Teef. I told you after the Geostigma I wouldn't run away again."

Tifa looked up and smiled at him. "Yeah, and you haven't. Hm. You're right. We'll find a way like we always do."

Cloud smiled at her. "Yeah. It's not even the worst we've dealt with." Tifa nodded back, and he left to see to the teens again. Reggs was still laying on the bed, depressed. He looked up at Cloud.

"I'm screwed." Evidently he overheard enough.

Cloud shrugged and tossed Reggs his wallet and phone. "You probably won't be in Edge for much longer."

Cait Sith chimed in. "I can get him transport to Junon if he'd like to start over there."

"What about my family and friends?" Reggs asked the cat. "I don't wanna lose them."

"You have a phone to call them with."

"That's not the same!" Reggs looked up at Cloud. "C'mon, you gotta know how isolating that would feel."

Cloud stiffened. Yes, he knew what isolation felt like. He knew it oh so very well. He might not be the most talkative person on the Planet, but he hated being alone. Alone was a basement in a mansion as a psychotic scientist did things to your body while you were still awake, and no one would come to save you as you screamed. Alone was being in a tank next to your best friend and not being able to talk to him for five years. "It's not that bad."

"So you're just gonna take him away, just like that?" Janus asked.

"Do you have another proposition?" Cait Sith asked.

They were interrupted by a banging on the door to the bar, everyone in the room staring towards the angry, heavy beats. Cloud cursed under his breath. "I'll get it."

Cloud quickly went to the garage, picked First Tsurugi from the table he laid it on earlier in the day, then hurriedly made his way to the front door of the bar and opened it a crack. There were an angry pair of blue eyes staring back, and the man shoved against door again. Cloud didn't let it budge. "We're closed." He could smell the rage coming off the man as he tried pushing again, and he frowned. "Do I know you?" he smelled familiar.

"I know _he's_ in there and I demand you let me in, now!"

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "What if I don't want to?" He immediately thought better of it and opened the door, the man falling into the bar. Cloud shut and locked the door behind him, then leaned against the wall behind the stranger, sword next to him. "Who are you?"

"Dad?" Reggs was gawking from behind the bar counter. Tifa was glaring at the newcomer, and Cloud swore she looked ready to toss her hot pan at the man.

The man stood up and angrily dusted himself off before turning to Cloud and looking down into his eyes. "Miles, Mr. Sabaranth to you." He turned towards Reggs and pointed a finger at him. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You finally ruined the family's standing in Edge."

Reggs glowered back. "I saved Sophia!"

"You savaged a man in front of her, do you have any idea how much therapy she'll have to go through because of that?" Miles shook his head. "You didn't have to save her like _that_. Not...showing everyone you're a monster." He turned back to Cloud. "I was told _you_ could keep him in line."

"Do you really think a werewolf is gonna stand there as an assailant spirits away his younger sister?" he asked incredulously. He thought back to Yuffie when she was assaulted last spring. He had far less control than he did now, but he knew who his pack was, and who was a threat to it.

"You're a hack of a hunter." Miles turned back to Reggs. "You're out of the family. Stay the hell away from Sophia, she doesn't need to be around the likes of you."

"Try and stop me, old man."

"Do you really care more about your reputation than your family?" Tifa interrupted in a quiet, calm voice that set the hairs on the back of Cloud's neck on end. She was leaning on the counter, studying the man with a neutral expression, her eyes betraying her simmering anger.

Miles sneered. "You're only as good as the company you keep and the family you have. I was hoping Reggs would be brought into line with that one's help," he said as he jabbed a finger in Cloud's direction, "and the WRO. But it seems like you can't take the savage out of a rebellious, teenage werewolf."

Tifa briskly tapped her hand against the counter as Reggs' friends congregated behind him. "Hm. He might be better off without you. Sophia, too, if you actually would have preferred her being kidnapped like that." Her face twisted with disgust, her voice calm and full of venom. "What kind of a man cuts ties with his son when he needs him the most?"

"As if a ransom couldn't be paid." Miles pointed at his son again. "And he's not my son anymore."

Cloud stood straight and nodded, walking up to Miles. "Then you don't have any business here anymore, _Miles_." He grabbed the man by the collar of his coat and dragged him towards the door, tossing him onto the street. After one final glower he shut the door and locked it, and sat at the counter. Cloud was silently fuming over the shallow man.

"Holy shit, he tossed your dad to the curb like he was a bag of trash!" Venx chuckled but quickly silenced himself.

"I'm screwed." Reggs said with a shrug.

Tifa returned to her cooking. "No, you're not."

"I knew you were a lame werewolf." Janus said.

"At least he doesn't cower at his father." Alann replied. He looked towards the stairwell he stood next to, raising his brow.

"Man, I don't need this right now." Reggs sat on a stool in front of the counter and looked down at his hands. "Where am I gonna go? I don't wanna go to Junon."

"I'll think of something." Cloud said. The teen wanted to stay near the people he cared about and Cloud couldn't blame him, especially after his own father cut him out of the family; he needed those bonds. He doubted very much that Elly and Sophia had the same feelings on the matter as Miles, however. "You can't stay in Edge for much longer, however."

"...I know."

The room was quiet except for the sound of Tifa cooking, and Cloud excused himself to talk to the children who had no doubt eavesdropped on everything they could. He headed upstairs and predictably they huddled in Marlene's room, whispering to themselves until Cloud opened the door. "Any juicy gossip I should know about?"

"That werewolf is stayin' the night?" Zeph asked with a frown.

"Yeah." Cloud said flatly.

"Sophia's alright?" Marlene inquired.

"She's fine, Reggs made sure of it."

Cloud looked over at Denzel, who had a faraway look in his eye. He turned his gaze to look at all three. "Reggs is having a tough time right now, so just try and encourage him...or something. If he feels like talking." He really didn't know what to say, his father disowned him in front of his friends and he and Tifa as if it were nothing at all. "Dinner should be ready soon. You guys did your homework before eavesdropping?"

"Yes, Cloud." they said in a monotone unison.

"Great." He stood up and walked out as Marlene and Zeph continued to talk. Cloud turned around as he heard Denzel get up and follow him, and he gently cocked his head after closing the door after him. Denzel looked up at Cloud in the dim hallway, brows furrowed.

"Reggs' dad disowned him?" Cloud nodded, and Denzel looked down in thought a moment before looking back up. "Doesn't he care about Reggs?"

"Not as much as his reputation."

"Why?"

Cloud scratched the back of his head. "Some people value things like that more than their family. Don't ask me why, I think it's just a stupid popularity contest."

"That's his family, though." Denzel said. "And Reggs saved his sister. His dad isn't happy about that?"

Cloud gently took Denzel's shoulder and walked him towards the stairs with him. "His dad coulda saved face by paying a ransom." He sighed heavily. "Family doesn't mean that much to some people."

"I don't see how." Denzel still loved his parents no different than the last night he saw them. The picture Cloud helped him find in the Sector Seven ruins was one of the last things he looked at before going to bed many nights. He loved Tifa and Cloud dearly, and especially admired the hero that took him home on Fenrir, but he always put them in a slightly different category than his parents; he couldn't replace them even if they were dead. They were all his family regardless, just like Marlene and Zeph. Temperamental feelings towards family felt foreign to him.

"No need to understand it. I don't."

They came to the bottom step, the four friends sitting at the counter and talking. Reggs still held an anxious face as the other three tried to cheer him up with some banter. It didn't seem to work.

"Hey, we'll call you if we hear anything, man." Janus said.

Alann nodded. "My father will probably have a few stories to tell after he comes home." He scratched the bridge of his nose. "If the mob lets him leave, that is."

"If ya get lonely, you can always give me a call." Venx said in a mockingly suggestive manner. Reggs snorted and grinned at him before his face returned to an anxiety ridden mask moments later.

"...Thanks. For not bailing out on me after everything."

"Someone has to watch over you besides your mom." Janus teased before the three headed towards the door.

Venx was the last out, and he looked at Cloud and Tifa. "Keep care of him, he's fragile." he said with a crooked grin before closing the door behind him. Cloud again locked the door to the bar and helped Tifa with the plates as the children took their usual seats. Tifa guided Reggs to a chair and he sat, staring at the table in front of him. Zeph eyed him a little before looking away.

There wasn't much talk, except Tifa asking the children how school was. Cloud kept his head down as he ate, deep in thought. Marlene looked over at Reggs as he picked at the meat on his plate. "Sophia told me about me about you." she said as Tifa spoke to Denzel.

He snapped out of his thoughts and did a quick double take, brows up as he looked at Marlene. "O-oh yeah?"

Marlene nodded. "She really cares about you."

He sighed with a weak smile on his lips. "I wish I could see her and tell her I'm sorry." he said quietly.

"Sorry for what?"

"Scaring the hell out of her." He turned and munched on a piece of meat, and he decided that next to raw meat this was the next best food he had eaten in a while.

Marlene played with a vegetable on her plate. "You saved her, though. Sometimes bad guys don't leave you with a choice, and you have to fight to save someone."

Reggs swallowed his mouthful. "I'm not much of a fighter." he admitted.

"Sophia said that, too. She said you like to play with scrap and make things with it like some of the other kids at school."

He nodded. "Yeah, my dad used to yell at me for sneaking scrap into the house for my projects. I'm...I was, in a few engineering classes." he ended the sentence on a sour note. He couldn't go back to school anymore. Everyone would know.

"You are?" Zeph was listening to him.

"Yeah, I had a few projects I was workin' on back in the WRO building." He hoped he could go back there before he left Edge for where ever he was going.

Zeph looked down a few moments, then back up with a sheepish look on his face. "D'you think you could look at my school project after dinner? I'm having trouble with a piston..."

Reggs' face brightened. "Yeah, yeah I can look at it."

* * *

Cloud left the bar with Cait Sith after making sure the coast was clear, hiding his hair under his hoody. He decided his robe would look far too suspicious tonight as he made rounds in the Plaza, watching the WRO building from a distance as a group of people huddled around the entrance, demanding answers from someone, anyone, about the rampaging werewolf they had been housing.

"They're not givin' up, are they?" Cloud mumbled.

"They'd best get home before their knickers freeze!"

Cloud moved on after a while, towards the alley Reggs slaughtered that strange man. He hoped Yuffie would get back to him tomorrow with information on the this new assailant; the other two that he himself killed had been confirmed citizens of Junon, but their names didn't connect them to any crime organizations. That, he assumed, would take some sleuthing.

He turned the corner and walked towards the area, and the faint scent of blood still hanged low to the ground despite the clean up crew's work. How many people actually saw him? He sniffed again as he crouched down, trying to get some sort of hint of anything. He was anxious to find out, his mind switching between the weak scent and wondering when Yuffie would finally get back to him. _'I feel like a worried puppy...'_

"Anything?" Cait Sith inquired. Cloud shook his head.

Cloud eventually left and made rounds nearby, seeing the occasional movement of pedestrians still searching about. Once in a while they would stop and stare at Cloud if they saw him, and he would glare back until they looked away again to continue their vigilante search. He hoped the peacekeepers were out tonight and not just congregated at the Plaza; it seemed this entire side of the city was in a proactive rage because too much information on Reggs had been leaked.

Which meant Marshall probably knew, and it was a matter of time before he confirmed Cloud himself was one of the werewolves working for the WRO, too.

Cloud let out a sigh. "I know you said you have my back," he started in a quiet voice, "but this was a bad way to introduce to everyone that there's werewolves working for you, Reeve."

Cait Sith shrugged as he rode his friend's shoulder. "Not the best of circumstances, but you've done a lot for Edge."

"As if that matters. All it takes is one person to get the wrong idea about someone and they'll be shunned like they have Geostigma." Cloud said bitterly. "Just look at Reggs. Even if you had a news bulletin telling the truth, the population would think it was a lie so the WRO could save face. His life here is ruined."

The cat frowned and shook his head sadly. "It's true he won't be able to return to Edge for quite some time. But you..."

"What if they attack Tifa, or the baby?"

"You think people would do that, because of you?"

"I'm terrified that might happen someday." Cloud admitted. He had felt rather confident until this afternoon.

Cait Sith squeaked a little groan. "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that. Besides, people haven't worked up the nerve to confront you about those rumors swirling about you."

Cloud let out a humorless chuckle. "Only a matter of time."

As they made their way towards the bar a group of several young adults walked up to them, brandishing weapons in their hands. Cloud narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, waiting for them to speak first.

"We heard the Edge hunter took the werewolf someplace to hide." Said the tallest in the group, glowering at Cloud. He stood a little over half a foot taller than the warrior, who looked up at him with a hostile glare.

"I'll be sure to leave him a message." Cloud replied dismissively before attempting to move on. A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he slowly turned his head to look at whoever thought it was a good idea to challenge him like that. "...Yes?"

"Don't fuck with us, man. You're hiding one of those monsters."

"Got any proof?" Cloud turned to face them again.

One of the shorter men spoke up. "There were witnesses."

Cloud raised a brow. "And none of them saw where the werewolf was taken?"

The third shifted on his feet. "No."

"Right. Go home, and stop wasting my time."

The first one tapped his metal bat against the palm of his hand in a threatening manner. "That's why we're asking you, jack ass."

Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "Tough." He took a look around for a building he could jump on to, then glanced at the young men. "Go home before your parents worry." Cloud leaped onto the roof of a nearby store, disappearing from their view. He heard their angry shouts before hopping towards Seventh Heaven, not wanting to be followed by vigilantes. "This is getting out of hand."

Cait Sith nodded. "The peacekeepers are stretched thin tonight as it is."

"Maybe everything'll calm down tomorrow."

He made it to the bar a little sooner than he thought he would, and saw the children to bed with Tifa after a shower. They had to pry Zeph from Reggs, the boy asking for a little more time as Reggs showed off his tinkering knowledge. Cloud was glad the teen had something to pull his mind out of despair for a few hours, and guided him towards the guest room while talking to him.

"They're still looking for me, aren't they?"

Cloud nodded. "They don't know where you are."

"Yet."

The warrior sighed. "If it comes to that, they'll deal with me." He moved towards the door and looked back. "Get some rest. You're safe here."

Reggs nodded, resigned to his fate for the moment. He was exhausted after everything that happened today. "Thanks, Cloud." He stared at his feet. He still didn't know Cloud all that well and here he was, hosting him at his house like it was nothing at all. His father, on the other hand, wiped his hands of him with no issues.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." Reggs looked back up. "Why are you going through all this trouble for me?"

Cloud shrugged. "Where else are you supposed to go?"

"Out in the Wastes, maybe."

The warrior snorted. "I was hoping I didn't seem _that_ heartless."

Reggs rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't mean it like that. I know you're supposed to watch over me but I wasn't expecting you to go this far." This was his home.

Cloud shook his head. "What else should've been done? It's not like I haven't gone out of my way for others before."

"I guess." Reggs nodded. "Thanks again, Cloud. I'll...make it up to you, somehow."

"Don't worry about it. Night."

Cloud made his way upstairs and to his bedroom, plopping onto the bed and causing Tifa to grunt from the impact. "Sorry, Teef."

"Long day, huh?" she said.

"Tomorrow will probably be longer." he sighed. Cloud shuffled under the covers and close to Tifa, holding her next to him and catching her scent and the baby's as he closed his eyes.

"Poor thing..." Tifa mumbled into his chest. "Reggs seems nice. It's a shame all of this is happening to him."

"He takes after his mother I think. She seemed nice enough when I met her."

"His father is no better than the Aldives. He's just more honest about it." Tifa remarked.

Cloud grunted in agreement. "Reggs is probably gonna go to Junon. I guess my dad will watch over him, after all."

"I don't know if he has the patience for him. He's a good kid but he's kinda..."

"Soft?"

"Yeah. But he has time to grow." Cloud said. "Well..." he rubbed Tifa's back a few times with his hand, the woman sighing from the pleasant pressure. "Hopefully tomorrow is more promising." He moved his head up and kissed Tifa before resting back on the pillow again.

"Yeah." She rubbed the back of his scalp a little, making him hum. "Goodnight, Cloud."

"Night."

* * *

A loud noise startled Cloud and Tifa, and they immediately sat up in bed. Cloud glanced at the clock, it was three in the morning. Another noise came from downstairs and another, the sound of glass shattering. Then the angry shouts. Their eyes widened as they realized what was happening; someone had told vigilantes where Reggs was hiding.

It was definitely going to be a long day.


	51. Human Nature

"Tifa, you should stay upstairs."

"This is my bar, Cloud."

"But you're-"

"I'll be fine."

Cloud nearly jumped down the stairs, the sound of something heavy beating on their front door and more things being thrown assaulting his ears. He had passed the children as they opened their doors to find out what the racket was. Tifa herded them into the office to keep them together before joining Cloud downstairs.

Reggs poked his head out of his room but Cloud told him to go back and keep quiet. The front door was shaking violently, and he glanced at it with a wary gaze that eventually took stock of the front of the bar; rocks and glass from bottles littered the floor and scuffed the tables. There were shouts and thumps and calls demanding they come out of the bar.

"Wonderful." Tifa looked at the state of her establishment, the sound of crunching glass under her shoes. She watched Cloud, who was obviously struggling with his inner beast; he looked ready to gore who ever was stupid enough to force their way into the bar, teeth clenched and eyes hard. Her hand rubbed his bicep, the skin almost burning hot.

 _'Keep it together...Ignore Tifa and the baby's scent, ignore it all, I can do this without ruining my night clothing...'_ He let out a long, angry sigh. _'...I hope.'_

"I'll be right back. I need to get my sword." Cloud quickly departed for the garage, and Tifa stood alone behind the counter, watching. A few thuds echoed from the outside walls as things continued to ricochet off the bar's outside walls, and a few bottles and stones made their way through the window.

"I was hoping they ran out of things to throw by now..."

Tifa decided it was best to move deeper into the bar, but a rock smacked her on the head as she took a few steps back. She cried out from the surprise the small projectile caused her, and she covered her head and ducked in case anything else wished to strike her, Cloud returning just in time to see it all. Tifa heard Cloud drop his sword and let out a growl, then other, snapping sounds that gave her a sinking feeling in the pit of her gut. "Not now..." Tifa looked up, wincing, Cloud leaping over the counter in a rage. He let out a roar, the people on the street responding with screams or more rocks that pelted the angry werewolf here and there.

He quickly walked towards the front door.

"Cloud! Don't kill them, please." He paused in his stalk towards the front of the bar, grumbled, then turned and walked back in front of her. He ignored any stones that ricocheted off his back as he pushed the counter door to the side to tend to Tifa.

 _ **'She's okay, she's okay, she's okay...Easy...easy...'**_

He looked down at her, studying the blood on her head and the pad of his palm resting gently, carefully on her back as she stood back up from her crouch. _**"They're making it hard."**_ he said slowly before returning his gaze to the door. She didn't smell afraid. She smelled angry...Someone was getting an earful tonight, and it wasn't him.

She hissed a little from the pain of her injury and Cloud growled. Tifa squeezed his arm, the muscles tense and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. "I'll be fine...Just keep yourself under control and we'll get through this, alright?" Cloud turned back to face her and she gave him a reassuring smile, marred by pain. After a moment he slowly nodded with a huff, then looked again at the front, people trying to look in through the windows as they tossed more stones and the door shuddering violently. Those who peeked either stared or ran off, and Cloud took it as a good sign; they would be less likely to fight, which meant he would have an easier time keeping Tifa placated.

Even if he was ready to burst through the door and see how many he could gut before they scattered. Tifa came first. He moved back to the front of the bar, and he heard Tifa follow him. _**'I'm in control.'**_ He glanced back at Tifa. Well, as long as nothing else happened to her.

There was a lull in the shaking and a few moments later a loud splintering sound ripped through the front of the bar as the door was torn off its hinges and split in half, a small mob of a dozen people pouring in and semi-circling in front of a werewolf with glowing eyes baring his teeth at them, the image still jarring even if they knew what waited on the other side. He crouched protectively in front of Tifa as she continued to rub her head, and he gave a low warning growl.

Many began backing away despite knowing he had been waiting for them, their bravado quickly draining as they stared into those hostile eyes, daring them to come any closer. A few did come forward, weapons drawn, and there was a canister of spray in one of the vigilante's hands. The arm came out and Cloud lunged with a snarl, smacking the can out of the man's hand with a fist. A small spurt of the gas was released as the vigilante spun limply into a table and several chairs.

Cloud snorted and sneezed, the spray incapacitating him momentarily as he crouched towards the floor, taking a small step back. Another vigilante came forward almost immediately and tried to hit the recovering werewolf with his weapon, and Cloud backhanded him towards the mob after he glanced his shoulder, several shouting and tumbling over from the force of the impact. He growled at them, baring his teeth even as his eyes flooded with tears. He felt like a pathetic mess.

A few others from the entrance came rushing at Cloud and he snapped his jaws at them, forcing them to move back several steps. One came too close and was headbutted in the gut by the wheezing beast, then he snarled as one of the vigilantes from the side tried to make a move towards him. Cloud sneezed, then bared his teeth again.

He felt Tifa put a hand on his shoulder as she walked to his side, glowering at the group who ruined her establishment. Several of the vigilantes moved forward and Tifa took a fighting pose, ready to beat them to a pulp despite her pregnancy. The men paused, eyeing the pregnant woman as she fixed her gaze on them. "Get outta the way, Tifa." She blocked their path to Cloud, preventing any further violence for the time being.

"No, and you better have a really good reason why you're destroying my bar in the middle of the night." she said between her clenched teeth.

A woman's voice called out in the little mob. "You're hiding the monster that killed that man yesterday! I saw him through the window!"

"And it looks like you were hiding another." came a voice from the front of the group. "Are you his bitch, lady?" Cloud snarled in the direction of the voice, and Tifa rubbed his shoulder in an attempt to placate him.

Tifa narrowed her eyes. "Who said I was hiding anyone?" she demanded, ignoring the insult.

The man that stood in front of her glared down at Tifa as he spoke up; Cloud remembered him from earlier in the evening. "One of the city council members. Said it nearly ate his daughter, and that _you_ were hiding it." He looked at Cloud, the werewolf still recovering from the spray, his blue eyes watering as he panted. Those eyes were familiar to him. "Guess I got evidence now, mister hunter." Cloud growled at him.

An older man who had frequented the bar recently shook his head. "Disgusting. You were with a werewolf the whole time?" The man glanced at Tifa's large baby bump, sneering.

Tifa tensed her jaw and took a step forward, glowering. "You come in here and ruin my bar, and you wanna call me disgusting?"

"I knew those rumors were true!"

"Man, Tifa's boyfriend was a werewolf. Who'da thought?"

"He always was kinda weird."

Cloud shook his head and slowly stood up, still wincing from the spray. _**"Get out."**_

The man in front looked up at him defiantly, holding his ax in his hands. "You things have been preying on people in the city for who knows how long-"

"Cloud killed more werewolves than you ever fantasied about slaying." Tifa interrupted. "He's done more for Edge than all of you combined...And you're gonna treat him like this?"

"He's dangerous!" came a voice.

Tifa scoffed. "You're dangerous, look at what you've done!" She kicked at a pile of debris, then gazed at some of the faces in the small crowd. "We've helped quite a few of you while Edge was beginning to grow, and you're going to repay us like this?"

One of the other men pointed a bat at Cloud. "We don't want monsters in our city."

"He's not a monster, you ingrate!"

Cloud grabbed the top of the bat with his large, clawed hand before tugging it out of the vigilante's grasp. _**"You can deal with the ones left in the city, then. I'm done."**_ He tossed the bat to the side, then glowered at the man, daring him to attack. The vigilante looked stunned; the bat was coated with silver. _**"Get out before I make you get out."**_ Cloud growled.

The mob seemed to be agitated further. "The WRO is makin' freaks!"

"Silver doesn't work?"

"They're making super-soldiers!"

Both Cloud and Tifa rolled their eyes. "It's three in the morning, go make up conspiracies on your own time!" Tifa shouted. Some wavered and left as their courage waned further, not wanting to possibly be killed by a silver immune werewolf or an angry bartender. Five were left, one motioning with his head to move. Tifa didn't budge. "Leave." she said in a deadly quiet voice.

"We can't have werewolves in Edge. It's just a matter of time before he slips up, just like the other one we know you're hiding."

Tifa snorted. "I love being lectured on dangerous beings by the gentlemen that destroyed my establishment." she said sarcastically. "Really, tell me more."

Distracted by him she didn't notice one of the shorter men coming up to her side. He gripped her arm and yanked, making her stumble a moment before she wrenched her arm from him and punched him square in the nose, knocking him out. Cloud took a long step forward and roared at the other four, and they backed away a few steps; he was trying for the sake of Tifa to not resort to violence. If she wasn't there and in control, he was certain they would have been mauled to death by now.

He really wanted to maul them so very badly. At least he injured a few, that felt good.

Before things devolved further there was a knock on wood behind the group. The four remaining vigilantes turned and stiffened. "WRO. Break it up, people." It sounded like Ichi. Cloud raised his head, the peacekeeper giving him a wayward glance before returning his stare to the four men.

"Go to hell! You've been hiding monsters from us, just like Shinra!"

"Leave the premises or we're charging you all with trespassing."

"One of them is right there! Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Ichi blew a loud sigh out of his mouth. "There's no law preventing werewolves from living peacefully in the city. There are laws against murder, trespassing, and destruction of property, however." he said flatly.

"You're full of shit!"

One of the men tried to take a swing at Ichi, and Cloud picked him up with both hands from behind and flung him into the base of the front counter like a rag doll, the vigilante's thick coat cushioning him. Two others tried to jump Cloud and he took one into a headlock with a snarl, while Tifa connected her fist with the other's head, and he limply slid off the enraged werewolf. Another tried to restrain Tifa from behind but she threw her head back into his nose before twisting around and socking him in the gut and then his face. He wimpered as he tried to crawl away from them both before he was harmed further.

Tifa glanced at Cloud. "Maybe you should hide upstairs, Cloud." He looked back at her, nodded and quickly made his way up the steps after releasing the unconscious vigilante from his arm.

A few more peacekeepers showed up soon after, and Ichi directed them to arrest the injured. After they were taken to the back of a waiting truck and transported to the nearest jail, howling about a werewolf inside the establishment, Ichi entered the bar and shook his head. "This is getting outta hand."

Tifa sat at the counter and held her head up with a hand, elbow resting on the smooth stone. "That's an understatement." She looked at her other hand, knuckles scuffed from the fight. It felt good deep down to fight again, despite the circumstances.

Ichi sat next to her with his small first aid kit. "They really have it out for Cloud." he mumbled as he took out the gauze and a potion. "Why'd they come here in the first place?"

"Councilman Sabaranth spread a rumor that the werewolf who killed that man this afternoon was here." She swallowed as the light sting of a potion tickled her cuts. "While that's true, Reggs did it because he was protecting his sister." she said quietly.

Ichi let out a humorless chuckle. "Never a dull moment with you two." He dabbed her head injury after looking it over, the cut small.

"I could use a dull moment for once."

"Me too." Cloud said as he returned from upstairs, fresh clothing on. He sat on the other side of Tifa and glanced over at Reggs, who was poking his head out of the door to the guest room. He motioned to the teen to come out, and Reggs looked at the front of the bar as he came to the counter, despondent. "You're safe."

Reggs looked at Cloud, then at the front of the bar. "I should've just let them take me. I'm only gonna cause more trouble being here."

"They made that choice, Reggs. Not you." Tifa said as Ichi finished bandaging her up. "Why not get some more sleep if you can? They won't be back." Reggs shrugged before returning to his room. Tifa was sure he wouldn't be able to sleep, but looking at the state of the bar wouldn't do him any favors.

"I'm gonna stand guard out here for the rest of the night." Ichi said.

Tifa nodded. "I'm not going to get any more sleep tonight. I think I'll make some coffee. Want some?"

He smiled. "I'd really appreciate it." Ichi walked out towards the front door, talking to the other peacekeepers.

Cloud watched Tifa as she moved about the kitchen, setting up the coffeemaker as Reggs went upstairs. "I can keep watch, Teef. You need your sleep..."

She gave him a scathing look, but her glare softened. He was trying to look after her and the baby, after all. "I really can't sleep now, not after all this happened...I'll take a nap later, okay?" He gave a tentative nod and she smiled back to reassure him. After a moment she rubbed her head again, and she heard Cloud grunt. "It wasn't that big of a pebble, Cloud. I'm fine." She thought about getting another potion, but it was healing nicely after Ichi tended it.

He sighed heavily. "They could have really hurt you." Cloud had asked her before to let him take care of physical dangers while she was pregnant, but Tifa had a stubborn streak to match his. He usually loved it, but tonight it could have ended in a serious injury or maybe even stress induced labor, if that was possible. He sometimes wondered if he fretted too much. _'...Maybe it's me being overly protective...Probably. Tifa isn't helpless, but I can't help it. Not with the baby...'_

She nodded with a huff, arms crossed. "I know. But we handled it together, didn't we?"

"Yeah. But if something really bad happened, I could have ended up tearing everyone to pieces regardless. Then what?" Cloud scratched the side of his head. "You have no idea how hard it was to keep myself in check with you injured. Don't tempt that side of me, Tifa. Please." he warned quietly. It was nearly a repeat of the night her rescued Yuffie. If she had been knocked out...

Tifa chewed on the inside of her cheek before giving a nod back. She was so used to him being him that she sometimes forgot there was something inside Cloud waiting for an excuse to shred people apart. She decided to change the subject. "How are the kids?"

"I sent them back to their bedrooms. I'm sure that's where they're at right now, in bed." Cloud raised his voice at the end, just so they knew he knew they were listening. He heard rustling, then silence. _'Probably still there.'_ Some things never changed, he decided.

Afterwards Cloud began to stare off into space for a few minutes, thinking quietly as the tinker of coffee dripping into the pot tickled his ears. "What do we do now?" he said in a low, quiet voice.

Tifa rubbed her baby bump, her eyes looking into Cloud's as he brought his gaze to her. "I don't know. The front of the bar needs to be repaired and the whole city is about to find out you're a werewolf." She sighed, looking towards the ceiling for a few moments. "Ingrates. Some of them we personally evacuated after the Deepground Incident, too."

Cloud held his head in his hand, fingers curled towards his chin. "I said I had a duty to help...but...they're just scared. Right?" He smelled fear more than anything.

"They wrecked the bar. A lot of them knew there were children in here, too."

Cloud pursed his lips. How many packages had he delivered to those people? Some of them looked familiar, even if he wasn't as good at remembering people as Tifa, some of them knew he lived with her. They all acted like they were complete strangers. "I'd feel like I'm running away."

"From what? Your duty?" He nodded and Tifa hummed. "Despite what you said the other day?"

"It's one thing to contemplate it, but to have this...I didn't think it would get this bad."

Tifa walked over to him and put a hand over his. "I know if there's another crisis, you'll be there and so will I. We've done a lot for so many people in such a short time...I guess I expected a little more from everyone."

Cloud ran his other hand through his spikes before propping his head up with it again. "Tonight was a real eye opener."

Tifa nodded. "They didn't care to even reason with us. I talked to so many of them at one time or another...they just trashed everything. Everything we built up..." She walked back to the coffee maker and filled multiple cups, handing one to Cloud after fishing the creamer out of the fridge. "I'll be right back." Tifa walked out from behind the counter to serve the peacekeepers.

Cloud looked her way and took another good look at the ruined bar. So much for the wedding party. He had been looking forward to it, if just to see his family of friends together again for a few hours. Cid and Barret would coorce him to drink with them until they were wasted, they'd tease Yuffie and she would sass back, and he'd probably give Denzel and Zeph a barely coherent pep talk. Just like the party they had when Geostigma was cured. He let out a heavy sigh and faced the counter again.

Cloud continued to think as he sipped his coffee. He thought about Tifa, the baby, the children and Reggs. He thought about the life his family had built up in Edge. Cloud knew he had a responsibility to the people who left Midgar for an event that was partially his fault, but he wondered what he could do when the citizenry would want him gone. Was it best to do as they wanted, even if it led to more pain later?

Again he thought of his family. A sense of guilt panged at his heart, because their lives here would be upended because of him. He had been far too cocky. Cloud rubbed his scalp with his free hand as he brooded over the situation. A few years ago he was certain he would have left for their sake, so they wouldn't have to deal with the fallout. Now, with a baby on the way, that wasn't a choice. Was it ever a choice? The kids never wanted him to leave, and neither did Tifa. It was just running away, wasn't it? He took a deep breath. He still had to do his best for them, even if he felt so helpless at that moment.

* * *

Denzel didn't like what he was hearing downstairs in the bar as the adults discussed what should be done. Cloud and Tifa sounded tired even after their nap, Barret and Cid sounded angry, and Hirdthag sounded resigned. Yuffie didn't speak as much as Denzel was used to, and it put him on edge.

Reggs sat on the other side of the hall from Denzel, legs tucked in as he listened quietly with the other two children. He wore a plain T-shirt and jeans that were a little short on him, and a bit wide. He had dark circles on his eyes that matched Cloud and Tifa's, not able to sleep after everything.

Barret, Cid, and Hirdthag came as soon as they could from Junon, alerted to the mess in Edge by Reeve. Yuffie had gone to the bar looking like a mess a couple of hours after the attack, helping Tifa, Cloud and Reggs clean up what they could as the children pretended to go back to bed. Of course Cloud knew they were awake, but he said nothing after his initial warning; Denzel guessed he was too wrapped up in what had happened to tell them to leave their perch at the top of the stairs again.

Just like right now.

"So he was just some idiot off the street trying to get money or something..." Cloud remarked about the now dead, would be kidnapper.

"Yep. But now that detective knows and..." Yuffie trailed off.

"An' what?" Barret asked, voice sharp and low.

"That mob in Junon is gonna find out now, too. The detective might have even been hired by them for all we know." She sighed. "We're lucky none of them have been ballsy enough to attack the bar yet."

Tifa chuckled humorlessly. "It's still early." Indeed, it was a little past lunch. Denzel's stomach growled, they hadn't eaten since breakfast.

"Shit, you kids need to get the hell outta dodge. None of these people respect your asses after everything you've done, anyway!" Cid said.

"Yeah, I need to figure out where to take them." Cloud released a noisy sigh. "Maybe there's an outpost or a village or something...I really don't want to start over, but we aren't being given a choice any more."

Denzel remembered that there were outposts set up by the WRO for settlements as people migrated the Planet. Not everyone wanted to live in Edge or Junon, and some wanted to strike it out in a new place. He wasn't sure he wanted to go so far from the city. What about his friends?

"You're welcome to stay in Rocket Town until ya figure out where to go. Stay as long as ya need to. Hell, bring that kid along, he seems alright."

"Reggs?" Tifa asked.

"I don't know if they're gonna want werewolves prowling about..." Cloud said with an uncertain tone to his voice.

Cid snorted loudly. "They'll listen to me, I'm the Chief after all. Besides, a lot of 'em know who you are and what you've done."

"It could work in your favor until we figure this out." Cait Sith reasoned. "Right now we're strained because of all those worried citizens that don't really get what we were doing. I understand, they fear that the WRO will become a new Shinra." There was a short pause. "I don't think they're ready for this. It's been less than a year since the public found out that a creature that was relegated to legends was actually quite real and prowling about the Midgar ruins and Edge itself. A creature that could be responsible for many missing persons and murders. Now all of a sudden they're supposed to believe they aren't all bad?"

Hirdthag rumbled a bitter laugh. "Damned if you do, damned if you don't. See? This is why I left Nibelheim. You and Sunna would've been there for me, I know, Cloud. But the rest of the village would not have been so accommodating. You have many people that support you, but even more will not."

"I know." Cloud said quietly. "It doesn't mean...It doesn't mean I should give up. Right?"

"You really suck when you give up, Spike." Yuffie said in a casual manner.

"She's right." Tifa said. Denzel could hear her smile.

Barret coughed. "You better keep my Marlene safe while you out there." His sigh was heavy and sad. "I don't get to see her enough as it is..."

"No one is gonna hurt Marlene, and it's not like you wouldn't jump on the Shera any chance you got to go see her." Cloud said. He let out a low hum, coming to a decision. "Alright. We'll leave in the evening."

"What about our things?"

"Just move shit when you get a chance, it's not like I can't transport it all on the Shera later." Cid drawled out.

Denzel quickly went down the stairs and was greeted to seven pairs of eyes watching him from a booth and large table. He approached them, and focused his stare on Cloud. "We can't move away. All of our friends are here!"

"Denzel..." Cloud looked so, so tired, and not just physically. His spikes were frazzled and his face was marred by stress. "I'm sorry, I really am. But no one is gonna want me living here." He slowly motioned his arm at the bar. "No one is going to come to a bar with me in it..." Cloud looked down, his eyes filled with a guilt Denzel was familiar with before he had Geostigma and left them to die alone.

The boy looked angrily at Hirdthag. "This's your fault for doing this to Cloud. Everything would be fine if that never happened!"

Hirdthag was about to say something when Tifa interrupted. "That's also why Zeph and Rosa and Reggs are alive, Denzel. We don't want to uproot you three at all. But your safety comes first." she said firmly.

He didn't want to hear it. Denzel marched back upstairs and past the other three, smashing the door to his room open and slamming it shut hard enough to make the wall shake. He flung himself onto his bed and punched the pillow until feathers began popping out. Couldn't Reeve make a statement so people understood? Couldn't everyone just get along as they did before? Why were they so hostile? He didn't want to leave, he didn't want to lose the few friends he had. He didn't want to lose Natsumi, even if he felt he already had at that point.

What about Cloud and Tifa's other friends, like Evan and Kyrie? They'd be so much farther away from Barret, too. What about his school? Sure, he preferred homeschooling but he liked his classes and his teachers. Didn't his opinion matter on the subject? He could watch over himself now, he saved Cloud not too long ago as it was!

Denzel smashed his face up against the beaten pillow, Holding it tight in his arms. He didn't want to think anymore, he just wanted to stay here. This was his home.

Eventually Tifa made a light lunch for the group, knocking on Denzel's door and getting an angry groan in response. She sighed and went back downstairs to eat with the others, no one really wanting to talk at the moment. She finished quickly and put her plate in the sink, then looked about the bar.

This wouldn't be her home for much longer. People she thought would be a little more reasonable were completely ruled by fear, and because they wouldn't accept Cloud it wouldn't matter if she repaired the bar or not; no one would visit. Just as fewer people visited after Denzel showed up with Geostigma.

She felt fortunate they didn't owe on the property, and after it was sold they would have plenty of money at whatever place they permanently ended up at. Tifa's heart skipped a beat at the thought of selling the bar. This is what she did ever since she took up a job in the slums at the original Seventh Heaven. What would she do next? She rubbed her belly and sighed. The baby would come first. She had often wondered many a night how she would run a bar and take care of a baby, even if Cloud was around the house more as of late.

A knock on the barely repaired door snapped her out of her thoughts, and Cloud quickly stood up and strode to the door, tension visible in his shoulders. He peeked from the small opening and looked down at someone, his body relaxing. "Oh. Yeah, it's alright." He opened the door and four children looked about as they walked in. "Denzel's upstairs, Natsumi." She nodded and charged past the counter and up the stairs.

Vits and Rosa came up to Zeph and Marlene, her face a mess of concern even as Marlene gave her a tight hug. Sophia hung back a moment, standing near Cloud until her eyes met Reggs'. He hesitantly stood from his seat and walked over, his father's words repeating in his ears. Sophia took his hand as they met, and she motioned him to sit at a lonely booth with her in the corner of the bar.

"Your stupid friends said they were gonna visit after school." she teased, her voice dripping with sadness.

"I could use their company one last time..." He looked down at his fingers. "I'm gonna go to Rocket Town."

"But that's so far away!" she cried out.

Reggs nodded. "I promise I'll call you and Mom when I can." He wrapped his arm around his little sister and held her close as he stared at the far wall of the bar. Cloud passed by, rejoining his friends. "I'm sorry I scared you yesterday." he whispered. "I didn't mean to..." Therapy because of him...

"You weren't that scary when I knew you weren't gonna hurt me." Her murmured giggle was without mirth. "You saved me, Reggs." she said quietly.

"Dad didn't like it." He sniffed about. There was absolutely no fear, just sadness. It was a little relieving to say the least.

Sophia glanced up at her brother. "That never stopped you before." She leaned onto his chest. "He told you to stay in the house after the dragon attacked Edge, but as soon as he and Mom left you carried me to the church. Dad was mad, but then he was happy when my Geostigma was gone."

Reggs scoffed. "I don't think he cares this time. He's more interested in the budding politics of the city." He felt betrayed. Being disowned was one thing, but why tell a mob of angry, scared people where he was hiding? It wasn't as if he was going to be in Edge much longer. It seemed so very petty to Reggs. "The bar is wrecked because of him. He told everyone where I was."

The little girl huffed. "If he's worried about how our family looks, this makes him look bad. Don't you think?"

"Considering he helped reveal there's werewolves working for the WRO? He'll be hailed a tragic hero who had to reveal President Tuesti's evil plans or something stupid like that."

Sophia nodded. "Dad said we shouldn't see you anymore. I guess he wanted to make sure..."

"You better be careful, Sophia. You might become a little rebel." he said with a small smile. They sat together and talked like nothing happened, neither sure when they would have a chance to do so again. He glanced at the three children that huddled together talking, picking up some of their conversation when neither he nor Sophia spoke.

"Wow. All because of Reggs?" Rosa whispered. Zeph and Marlene had told her what they had heard as they eavesdropped from the stairwell during the night.

Marlene nodded. "They said we have to leave Edge. Cloud and Tifa looked sad." She glanced at the two; they still looked plenty sad to her.

"...Leave?" Vits grumbled.

"But...you were my first friends in this new school. And Zeph..." Rosa looked away. Despite the rocky start, she honestly liked the strange family that took Zeph in. Tifa had taught her how to cook she and her uncle didn't have to live off sandwiches and take out all the time, and Cloud tried his best to help her train with the spear after Cid helped her out. She glanced at the table where the adults congregated, talking quietly among themselves. Would she see any of them again?

Zeph shrugged. He didn't want to leave just because a stupid mob full of ignorant, scared people decided to rough up the bar. It's not like Cloud killed any of them, and the irony of his thoughts washed over him. He wondered if he would have been among the consensus demanding Cloud's death or exile months ago, and he was certain he would have been if he hadn't known him at all. "I don't wanna start over again." Zeph admitted. His world was still incredibly small, consisting only of Midgar, Edge, and parts of the wilderness that he had visited with Cloud and Tifa.

Rosa looked down. "I don't want you to go." she mumbled. She had other friends here, but she was closest to Zeph.

"Me either." Vits said. These were his closest friends on this street. He looked down and kicked at the floor gently.

Marlene looked up and collected her thoughts before looking at the three again. "We really don't wanna leave, but no one wants a werewolf living in the city, even if he helped a lot of people out." She knew that Cloud's heroics were lost on the public and he wasn't one to press for recognition, but she couldn't help but wonder if it would have made things better.

"I'll write to you, Rosa." Zeph blurted out.

Rosa looked back up, her hazel eyes glittering. "...You will?"

"Totally."

"And if we can visit Edge, we'll come see you, Rosa." Marlene chimed.

Rosa smiled and nodded. "I'd like that a lot."

Vits narrowed his eyes. "What about me?!" he groused.

Marlene patted his shoulder. "I'll write to you, Vits! We aren't going to forget about you."

He flashed a half smile at her. "I'll hold you up to it."

* * *

Denzel stewed on his bed, arms crossed as he laid on his back. He was still upset over everything, how unfair it was. He looked about his room, the room he called his since September. Would he have to share a room with one of his siblings again? He wasn't terribly upset with the thought, but this was his room and the bar was his home. It had been his home since Cloud brought him here.

There were so many memories in this place. Good memories, bad memories. Ones that made him laugh and ones that made him sad. Now a bunch of strangers were taking it all away from him.

A light knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. It didn't sound like Cloud or Tifa's firm knock, it was closer to Marlene's. But he could hear her downstairs..."Who is it?"

"It's Natsumi...Can I come in?"

Denzel jumped off of his bed and yanked the door open, wide eyed as he gazed upon Natsumi, the girl wearing a white coat and blue jeans. He moved out of her way after a moment, silently beckoning her to come in. She did so and he closed the door behind her. They sat on the edge of his bed, neither looking at the other. A few minutes passed; they didn't know what to say to each other.

"Denzel?"

He whipped his head in her direction. "Hm?"

"I heard the mob last night." Natsumi was still looking towards her feet. "When you and Marlene didn't come to school I was worried you left already."

"You could have come by this morning..." he mumbled.

She shook her head. "My parents drove me to school this morning in case there were any more crazies out there. I left early just in case they wouldn't let me come over." Natsumi finally looked at Denzel. "I'm sorry about ignoring you the past week. I was just..."

"I know." he sighed out, rubbing the back of his head. "It's just...Cloud taught me to try and keep your promises, no matter what. Sometimes stuff happens that might make it impossible, but it doesn't mean I shouldn't do my best to keep them."

"I see...But you could have asked him."

Denzel nodded and looked away. "I guess I just got caught up with everything that was happening. I didn't think I couldn't trust you, Natsumi. I know you trust Cloud."

She put her hand over his. "So what now?"

He shrugged limply. "We...we leave. No one is gonna want us in Edge because those stupid people don't care what Cloud's done for them. They don't know or if they do, they don't care." Denzel chewed on the inside of his cheek. "It's not fair." Cloud was a hero being tossed out of a city he helped multiple times.

"You don't have a choice?" she asked with a sullen voice.

"No. They're gonna take us to Rocket Town, and I guess we'll go from there."

Natsumi licked her lips and looked at the little bracelet Denzel gifted her for Christmas. It was made of polished bone with painted chocobos on it. "Can you make a promise to me, Denzel?"

He turned his gaze back to her, searching her brown eyes. "...Anything."

"Promise you'll come back to me."

A shy smile grew on Denzel's face. "Every chance I get. Maybe you can visit us during the summer, if your parents don't mind."

"Maybe. I told them what Cloud did before they adopted me. So...maybe they'll let me visit you. I'd like it a lot." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, and Denzel's face turned red. He was about to reply when a loud thud could be heard downstairs followed by shouting. The two looked at each other a brief moment before dashing towards the door, opening it up, and sneaking down the stairs to see what happened.


	52. The Answers We'll Maybe Find

Cloud really, really wanted to do it. Crush his windpipe, beat his head against the counter until it burst like a ripe melon, use his torso as a pincushion for his swords. This man had to be so arrogant and spiteful that he thought to rally vigilantes against him, then charge his way into the bar like he owned the place. Instead he was lifting Miles up off the ground by the fabric of his dress shirt despite how much taller he was than Cloud. He wanted to do any number of things to Miles that would not end well for the councilman.

But there were kids in the bar, so that wasn't happening.

Hirdthag and Yuffie watched from the table they sat at, near the edges of their seats and antsy of the off chance they would have to help restrain Cloud before he did something regrettable. Cid and Barret stood behind the spiky headed warrior, a disapproving frown on both of their faces as they stared at Miles. Tifa had ushered the children behind the bar, though Sophia stayed where she stood, next to Reggs.

Miles snapped his head towards Reggs and Sophia. "I told you to stay away from her!" he shouted.

Reggs glared at him. "Sophia can make her own decisions, Dad!"

Cloud dropped the arrogant man to the floor, glowering down at the crumpled mass. "You have a lot of nerve coming here after last night, _Miles_." he growled. "Tifa was injured because of you. Her bar was damaged because of _you_."

Miles picked himself up off the floor and pointed his finger in Cloud's face. "I'm not here for you and _your_ problems."

Cloud's eyes seemed to almost glow green a moment as the mako pulsed through his system. "My problems?" He grabbed Mile's shirt collar. "This is your fault!" he yelled, baring his pointy teeth.

Cid looked over Cloud's shoulder. "This shithead the one that told everyone about that kid?" He shook his head and let out a disgusted snort. "Father of the fucking year."

"No one asked you." Miles pushed himself away from Cloud, who released the councilman's collar a little too late; it tore near a shoulder. Miles sneered at Cloud, then looked back at Reggs and Sophia. "We're going home, Sophia."

"I don't want to," she said, nestling into Reggs' shirt. "He saved me from that man."

"He killed that man in front of you like a savage. You were crying and shaking when you came home, don't even tell me that one," Miles pointed at Reggs, "didn't terrify you."

"Maybe he did, but I don't care!"

"You'd rather something bad happen to her instead?" Hirdthag asked casually as he lounged at the booth. He had been watching the exchange with mild interest. "What if a knife found its way into your little girl?"

Barret nodded. "Jes' because someone's only intendin' to kidnap don't mean it ain't gonna go south."

Miles sighed harshly. "I'm not going to be lectured by who ever you people are."

Cait Sith flicked his tail irritably. "I think they might be the most qualified people to lecture you on the realm of unintended consequences that you'd ever find," he squeaked indignantly. "You've caused an extraordinary amount of damage in a short period of time."

The councilman snorted at the cat on the table as he crossed his arms. "They're going to have the WRO kicked out of Edge for this. Your little experiments with werewolves, hiding them...I thought it would work, I _hoped_ it would, but it didn't. And you hold out hope it will, still."

Tifa walked over to him, her angry footfalls marching across the hardwood. "It was working. Reggs only did what he did to protect his family-do you think any of us here wouldn't have done the same if our children were in danger?"

"You aren't a werewolf...I assume." Miles drawled while glaring at Cloud. "Monsters killing criminals are still monsters."

Tifa narrowed her eyes. "You're more a monster at this point than anyone else under this roof!"

Cloud rubbed his face. "Just get the hell out, Miles. You've already ruined what we had here in Edge."

"Not without my daughter." He looked back at Sophia and firmly motioned at her to come to him.

She didn't budge.

"Sophia."

"No. I wanna be with Reggs." Sophia hid behind her brother.

Miles walked towards the two, arms crossed. "You can't, Sophia. Say your goodbyes, we're going home."

"Miles, what are you doing?" The voice was calm if very tired, coming from the still open door. Elly was walking towards the three, her brown eyes sunken in slightly from lack of sleep. Her gaze went to Cloud, and she gave him a nod before looking back at Miles.

Miles seemed flabbergasted at the appearance of his wife. "Elly, it's not safe here-"

She put her hand up and shook her head. "Stop acting like an ass, Miles." her voice was firm. "You just had to make things worse again, didn't you?"

"The council-"

"I don't care about them, and this-" Elly waved at the bar, "was not about the council. You're always so hot headed when someone disrespects you, despite you starting it half of the time!"

Miles seemed much smaller as Elly put her foot down on his shenanigans. "Reggs is our son, and you put a council of try hards above our family! Why won't you think things through for once!"

Before he could reply she went to Reggs and Sophia. "I wish I could do something more about this." Elly cupped her son's cheek in her hand before hugging him, her head coming up to his chest. "You've always looked after Sophia, keeping her safe. I don't know where you'll go next, but I'll be sure to let Sophia visit."

He looked down as he hugged back. "You will?"

Elly smiled as she parted from their hug. "I trust you can keep her out of trouble." She walked towards Cloud and Tifa. "I wish I could have reigned Miles in that night, but I was busy tending to Sophia." Elly looked into Cloud's eyes, the steely blue melting into softer hues. "You've been so very good to my Reggs. Thank you. I just wish I could give more than that, after all you've done for him."

Cloud simply nodded. He felt uncomfortable. Not because of Elly, but because now that he wasn't focused on something or someone(like Miles), reality was again crashing down on him. There was still a crime mob after him, they had to move and the children weren't ready to leave their home. He wasn't ready to leave his home.

But he was going to be scorned by the city at large, and so was his family for having anything to do with him. Certainly there would be others that wouldn't care, people he had known or helped throughout the area. But that wasn't everyone.

He turned to Tifa, her face warping into a deeper frown at the look he gave her. She hesitated, biting her lip, then nodded. She knew that look; he needed time to think alone because he was still completely overwhelmed by everything. The last thing anyone, especially her, needed right now was him having another mental breakdown. Tifa knew he would be back in time to help pack up, but right now he had to go, despite it being a luxury at this moment.

Cloud wordlessly left towards the garage and hopped on Fenrir, leaving the bar and heading towards the Sector Five ruins. Occasionally someone would recognize him and there were various reactions, some predictable, others refreshingly surprising. Scorn, fear, sadness, pity, a nod in recognition. He ignored most of them, just wanting to get to his tranquil spot.

It only took him a few minutes to get there, to the church. Cloud put down the kickstand and shut off the engine before entering the empty ruins, walking up to a pew and sitting on it. He took a few deep breaths, contemplating and judging himself as he stared at the peaceful pool and lilies surrounding it.

Lily...Her father would be a failure, Cloud thought.

He had to wonder if this was how his father felt when this curse of sorts was placed on him. That he had to leave so they could have a somewhat normal life in Nibelheim. What kind of life was he forcing on his family through his selfishness, he wondered? He had a lot of regrets. Cloud placed his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his fisted hands, brooding over what he had helped cause.

He married Tifa like the selfish bastard he was, somehow got her pregnant and now she had to leave everything she had built up because of him. Marlene and Denzel and Zeph had friends and school here, and now they would have to give it all up because of him. His friends would have to put up with finding them a home where they wouldn't be scorned, because of him. If he had just quietly exited at some point when he knew this could be a problem, they could have had their lives in Edge.

He had been so cocky as to let rumors float about, to run about as a wolf in the city for one reason or another. He had been too weak last night to not change.

What about that baby he so cruelly help place in Tifa? What would she think of him while growing up? Where would she grow up? Cloud wondered how he could have stayed so optimistic about everything. Of course something would happen sooner or later, they were in a city full of people. Some people were more understanding than others, and he upset one with enough clout to upend their lives. He hated Miles but he knew he pushed his luck that evening.

Cloud knew he had to stay, he had promised after all, but what must they be thinking of him? _'Some spouse and 'father' I turned out to be.'_ If they wanted him gone he would do it for their happiness. He could help from the shadows, just like his father did, he thought. Cloud slid his fists over his face and leaned his head into them. He was tired on every level and a gaping hole was forming in his chest, threatening to swallow him whole.

 _"Dilly dally, shilly shally."_

Cloud slowly looked up from his hands and around the church. He couldn't see Aerith, but he knew she was there. "I think it's a bit different this time."

 _"Is it? There's things to do and you're here, loathing yourself again."_ There was a feather-light touch on his shoulder. _"The only one that blames you is...well, you, Cloud."_

"Why shouldn't I? We have to leave Edge. I could barely control myself last night, Aerith." He moved his hands to his knees and stared into his lap. "What if I killed those people?"

 _"But you didn't. Right?"_

Cloud closed his eyes and shrugged. "The city won't have us."

 _"Hm. Where were you planning on going?"_ There was a presence on his left. He dared not turn his head to look.

"Cid said he'd let us stay in Rocket Town, but...I don't wanna intrude forever." Cloud twiddled his thumbs. "I just wanted to help anyone else that could be like me..."

Aerith brushed up against his arm. _"You did. I believed in you, and you helped that boy. Didn't you?"_

"Not enough, obviously. I don't think the city is a good place for werewolves to be, anyway." Granted, he had handled it so well because of Reeve, his family and self control he had built up since Sephiroth's second defeat by him. "Now, my family has to suffer..."

 _"Not because of you, Cloud."_ Aerith sighed. _"If you and Tifa switched places, how would you feel about her?"_

He shrugged. "Wouldn't feel any different towards her. I'd do what I had to do to keep her safe and happy."

 _"You don't think that's how she feels towards you? You really need to put this into perspective, Cloud. None of your friends think badly of you. Maybe you screw up sometimes, but who doesn't?"_ A little laughter passed her lips. _"How many lives have you saved because you didn't let this hold you back?"_

"...But I..."

 _"No buts! And no matter what, your friends will be there for you, just like you've been there for us."_

Cloud nodded after a minute of soaking in Aerith's argument. "I...just have to stay strong for everyone. Right?"

He could feel her smile. " _Yep. You've made it this far, haven't you? You should give yourself more credit!"_

He let out a humored snort. "I suppose so." Cloud still felt rocky, but his mind was a little clearer. "When you saw me that night when I came here looking for a cure, you believed I'd be alright..." It was more a question than a statement.

 _"I don't think I was wrong."_

Cloud moved his head ever so slightly to the side she was on, holding his breath. If he focused, he noticed he could see translucent pink and pale white skin. "Aerith...Do you know what causes this?" Aerith was a Cetra and connected to the Lifestream, he assumed she could have some answers. He needed some answers right now, something to help drive him through the turbulence he dealt with at the moment.

 _"Causes what?"_ she asked playfully.

He closed his eyes. "Lycanthropy. The folk books never say what causes it, or what the origins are. I...I need to know, if I could. Maybe it'll help me help others, or find a cure, or something..."

 _"It was never meant to be cured, Cloud."_

He snapped his eyes open. "Huh?"

 _"A long time ago, the-"_

"Knew we'd find you here, yo!"

Cloud looked back towards the door of the church, scowling at the two Turks that strolled down the aisle. "I'm busy." he said curtly.

Reno raised his hands to the side and tipped his head lazily. "We've been busy too, yo. For _your_ benefit, I might add."

Cloud reluctantly stood up from the pew and faced Reno and Rude, arms crossed. _'So close...!'_ "What's going on?"

"You had a detective on your case, right?" Rude asked.

"Yeah. It's a bit late to make him stop, I think."

"We thought you could handle it, yo. Well I mean, after last night I guess the people that hired him wasted a good chunk of cash." Reno paused, then pointed his hand at no one in particular as he spoke. "A local politician hired Entwistle."

Cloud rubbed his face and groaned. "Maybe they should have just waited for the show last night." He looked up and tilted his head. "How'd you find that out?"

Reno grinned. "We're Turks. He said it was Aldive."

Cloud's face darkened. "Did you find out why?"

"Not yet. Maybe Evan and Tseng can get something outta them." Reno turned around, but looked back at Cloud. "Elena is waitin' at your bar, yo."

The bar. Cloud wondered how long he had been gone while brooding by himself. He walked away from the pew he stood by and towards the Turks. "I better get back before anyone loses their cool with Miles." Elly had stamped out his fire, but Cloud couldn't be too sure it wouldn't explode again.

Rude snorted, and Reno chuckled. "Oh, he was surprised when we showed up. Never expected you had friends like us, yo."

Cloud raised a brow at the Turk before he began to walk towards the door, Reno and Rude following him. "Friends?"

"Any friend of Evan's is a friend of ours." Reno shrugged, and Rude gave the barest hint of a nod. "Besides, we've helped each other out plenty of times, right? I ain't gonna be your drinkin' buddy, but..."

Cloud gave the lightest of laughs, more a puff of air passing his lips. They had been more a help than a hindrance in recent years. While they had had a rocky start, their help when Cloud was fighting Kadaj, kindness towards Penny and Evan, and even their ill-fated attempt at assisting Zack before he was killed had made Cloud feel almost indebted to the Turks. Almost. "Fair enough." He continued on until a strange sensation overtook him. For just a moment it felt like everything fell away into white, and he felt Aerith's lips near his ear.

 _"The Forgotten Capital. The answers are there."_ There was a pause, and everything faded back. _"Goodbye for now, Cloud."_

* * *

Evan tiptoed around the corner Tseng had just passed after giving him a go ahead signal. The detective had to wonder what fate had in store for him this time. He was investigating someone in Edge's politics, with a Turk and the princess of Wutai no less. This was something some detectives would dream of, with the large payday that would come with succeeding in such a feat.

Not that he was getting paid for this. Cloud and Tifa had put out their necks for his family, and it was only fair he did the same for them. He could handle this.

Yuffie sneaked from behind him and looked up at the back wall of the Aldive's home. It was put together a bit better than many of the other homes in Edge, their family having had some money and a little power in Sector Eight before Meteorfall. In the aftermath they had clout afterwards despite having been what many would consider Shinra's stooges; they argued that they had no real power but did have experience with the ins and outs of office.

Of course the money was what sealed the deal, gil closed mouths and made people work. As soon as Edge began to form a modicum of independence from the WRO they were working towards forming a council. Now, the WRO might be booted out of the city along with Cloud's family. The fools were tossing out one of the city's greatest guardians, and they had to know it. Maybe the citizenry at large didn't, but someone _had_ to know _something_.

Yuffie fumbled with a pick-lock on the back door. Tseng had sent a message to Mrs. Aldive ten minutes ago, sending her to the other side of the city. Edge wasn't a large city by any means, but it was big enough that despite her car it should give the trio a good half hour to find what they needed in the house.

She let out a victory sigh and very carefully opened the door, peeking this way and that. Yuffie looked back and motioned for Evan and Tseng to follow her inside and after looking about for any unwanted witnesses they sneaked into the house.

The inside was clean and spacious, a kitchen filled with fancy appliances. They sneaked into the dining room, pausing to listen for any footsteps or other noises that might indicate someone was there. Yuffie plucked a green orb from her pocket, something she borrowed from Seventh Heaven, before turning the corner to climb the stairs. The steps were made of a shiny, deep brown wood, making her hold her breath every time she took a step.

Evan was in between the two, his light blue eyes observing their surroundings. A crystal chandelier hung above them and the walls were a stark white. The three climbed the stairs and made it to the hallway, rows of doors greeting them. The detective bit his lip; which one do they try for first? Which door lead to the information they needed?

Tseng touched his shoulder and Evan glanced up at the Turk. He pointed towards a door on their left and then back at Evan. His dark eyes traveled to Yuffie, and he moved his head ever so slightly to the right. She nodded. Tseng silently moved towards the door at the end of the hall, prowling like a hunting Coeurl.

Evan deftly sneaked into the room he was designated after taking his hat off and putting his ear to the door to listen. The room was silent, and he put his black felt hat back on before very slowly opening the door, every squeak of the knob and joints like explosions in his ears.

Before he knew it the room was in view, a bedroom by the looks of it; a small and decorated bed sat across from Evan and to his left, a door leading to a closet further to the left and a drawer on the wall to his right. The wall next to him held a large mirror and table spread out with various knickknacks and grooming utensils.

Evan decided to go through the drawers first. Very carefully he started on the bottom drawer, finding nothing but folded clothing. Again he tried on the next drawer and then another, some anxiety creeping into his heart. Time wasn't on their side today.

The drawers had nothing to offer, and Evan looked about the room before focusing on the bed. Deftly he pushed his hands under the mattress, trying to find something, anything of possible use to this investigation. He lifted it up a little, peeking to see if he missed something in the middle before feeling for whatever could be hiding. Maybe papers or photos or anything...

His fingers tickled something hard and small. Evan grabbed at it, smooth and cold in the palm of his hand. Pulling it out he had a set of tiny keys. This might be progress, he thought. Standing up straight again he looked in the closet for anything that he could use the keys for. There was nothing but clothing and shoe boxes. "Damn." he mumbled.

Peeking out of the room he left, sneaking towards the room Tseng had chosen. Evan's eyes widened as he popped his head in; Tseng had a gun trained on him. The Turk promptly lowered and holstered the weapon, giving the detective a harsh look. It melted away as soon as Evan raised his hand, little keys dangling from his index finger and thumb.

Tseng strode over and plucked the keys from Evan as the detective moved his body into the room. "Where were these?" he said in a barely audible whisper.

"Under the mattress." Evan replied in just as breathy and low a voice.

Tseng nodded at the answer and strode over to the closet in the room. This one was a bit richer than the one he had been assigned, Evan reckoned. Large king sized bed draped in black and red blankets, the headboard of a dark wood. A chest at the foot of the bed, off-white walls and a thick cream carpet. A drawer, long and standing right below his hips, had a large mirror mounted on top. There were little cubbies filled with delicate knickknacks, like fancy perfume bottles.

Evan turned towards Tseng as he heard a click and a small squeak. As he quietly walked over to the walk-in closet he heard the rustling of papers and the Turk clicking his tongue. Tseng was looking through a pile of papers, taking one here and there before gently closing the lid and locking the the box away.

He stood up and stowed the papers into his suit before moving past Evan and trying the other key on the chest by the foot of the bed. It didn't budge. He grunted and looked around, then took out two small, thin metal pieces. He jammed them into the keyhole, working around the lock. Evan looked about, feeling a little nervous as their time slowly ran out.

The door opened suddenly, causing both men to jump and the pick-lock to snap. Tseng hissed a curse and Yuffie rolled her eyes. "You're a bit jumpy for a Turk," she whispered.

"You could be a little more subtle." Tseng growled before pointing at the lock with the broken pick-lock.

She walked over to the chest and crouched, studying the keyhole. "Looks like that's screwed."

Evan put his hand to his face. "Are you kidding me?" he said a little louder than he meant to.

A thud came from downstairs and the three froze. For a few moments all they could hear were their heartbeats, then a door opened and the clacking of high heels followed. Mrs. Aldive was home, and a lot sooner than she was supposed to be.

Tseng grabbed Evan and took him to hide in the closet, beckoning Yuffie to join them. She followed but shut them inside, the two men tensing. "I got this," Yuffie said through the door.

Evan bit his lip, palms sweaty and heart thumping wildly. How were Tseng and Yuffie so calm? He had been in danger multiple times, but there was something about being trapped in the closet of one of the more influential people in the city, with a Turk and the princess of Wutai that made his teeth grind together. If they botch this, he might be leaving the city for safer pastures, too.

Well, at least he wasn't being stalked by a silver haired man again, or a psychopathic werewolf, he mused.

He tensed further and stopped breathing as he heard footsteps clacking up the stairs, then stopping. They came closer, stopping somewhere midway in the hall. A long pause followed.

"Scott?"

That was Mrs. Aldive, and she sounded suspicious, worried even. Evan scrunched his brows together; he had remembered to leave the bed looking alright, hadn't he? He damned himself for possibly forgetting. The footsteps came closer, very slowly, and he heard Yuffie's feet move ever so softly on the plush carpet.

The door creaked open slowly and then padded footsteps made their way in. The two heard a creak, a gasp and a thud, then the door to the closet opened up. Yuffie grinned at the two men, tossing a green orb up in the air and catching it before nodding. "Let's get outta here while the going's good."

Tseng moved past Evan. "We still haven't found what we needed."

Yuffie flashed some papers before stuffing them back in her jacket. "Let's go."

* * *

Cloud found his way to the bar in minutes, the Turks left far in the ruins to walk back. It wasn't as if he had any room on Fenrir for them both, and besides some playful backtalk from Reno the two Turks seemed keen on taking a leisurely walk despite the chill. Cloud figured they may have had something else to do, and left it at that.

Walking through the garage door and into the bar, he eventually came to the counter and moved past it. Elena was staring down Miles in his seat as Elly stood next to him, nervously nibbling a finger. Reggs was sitting at a booth with his friends and Sophia, Barret and Cid were watching Elena carefully, and Tifa and Hirdthag were looking back at him. There was no sign of Yuffie. He strained his ears and heard hushed whispers upstairs.

Everything smelled a jumble of anxious emotions. Cloud closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath through his slightly parted lips before exhaling and opening his eyes again. He walked over to Tifa and Hirdthag.

"Where'd you go, boy?" Hirdthag sniffed and frowned. "You smell like flowers."

Cloud looked away, a displeased look on his face. "I needed to go someplace to think."

"You could have done that here, Cloud," his father groused. "Town's still in a tizzy over last night and you're sniffin' flowers."

Tifa intervened before the two started growling at each other. "It's alright. Do you feel better, Cloud?"

Cloud's eyes searched hers. She didn't smell or look upset, perhaps his absence wasn't as long as he thought. "Enough to get through the rest of today."

Tifa nodded, her gaze full of worry. She turned back to watch Elena. "She was grilling him while you were gone."

"Shame I couldn't watch," came Cloud's dry reply. "Reno said Evan and Tseng were gonna get some information out of the Aldives."

"Yuffie, too."

He raised a brow. "She went, too?"

Tifa looked back with a humorless laugh. "As if she wouldn't jump at the chance."

Cloud nodded and sighed. "Right." He looked around and made his way towards Reggs and his group, noticing the boxes stacked by the table they sat at. He leaned on the table and gave the group a tired look. "How was school?"

Janus shrugged. "What you'd expect, a total rumor mill." Reggs was groaning and his friend motioned towards the wary teen. "Reggs heard all about it already."

"Everyone was givin' us the stink eye." Venx said with a shrug. "Almost started a food fight in the cafeteria over it."

"Sounds fun." Cloud dead-panned.

"We had a little trouble getting into the WRO building, but we had a peacekeeper escort us here. It seemed he knew the way, since he corrected us several times." Alann remarked, changing the subject.

Janus motioned towards the boxes. "Most of his crap is in there."

"Yeah." Venx let out a noisy sigh, softly hitting the table with his hands. "I can't believe this is it."

"You're gonna be outcasts because you're friends with me," Reggs mumbled as he looked down at the table.

Venx slapped him on the back. "Yeah, how am I supposed to woo girls now?" he chided with a playful smirk. "Really though, who cares? School's almost over with for us."

"Is it?" Cloud inquired.

Alann nodded. "This is the last year of school for us. I plan on shadowing my father, so I might see you all on occasion. He gets called to the Shera often."

"You're totally taking us with you when you go." Janus said.

Alann huffed. "You'll have to get permission from the WRO or the lead pilot."

"I don't think that'll be a problem." Cloud motioned towards Cid with his head. "He's right there if you wanna ask him."

Janus and Venx moved in their seats to look at the surly pilot who noticed the stares, glancing back with a frown. He turned to Barret and said something; Cloud picked it up and couldn't help but smirk. "The fuck they're starin' at me for?"

Cloud waved him over and Cid strolled up to the table, looking back once to check on Elena and Miles. "Yeah?"

"These guys are interested in flying on the Shera from time to time." Cloud motioned at the teens, Janus and Venx looking between Cloud and Cid. Alann scratched his cheek with a finger, disinterested. "Since their friend is going to be going with us to Rocket Town..."

Cid rubbed his nose once with a pass of his hand before resting both hands on his hips. "Yeah, that's fine. Just get in contact with the airship handler in at the airport. If he gets testy tell him I said he can fuck off, he'll understand."

"Uh...Just like that?" Venx asked, perplexed. How does that even work?

The pilot gave a curt nod. "What, you want a permission slip?"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "I think that might work better."

Cid waved his hand flippantly. "Yeah, sure. I'll write some shit down."

Cloud nodded before he pushed off the table and sighed. "I'm...gonna start packing things." He left the table and walked up the stairs, the feeling surreal. They had to start over again. His ears perked as he passed the rooms of the children, their whispers and shuffling louder than they should be. Their friends were still there, helping them pack. Natsumi was sighing heavily and Rosa was grousing over the city folk. Vits was arguing with Cait Sith over the WRO's clout as Marlene sagely spoke to them both.

He pushed the door to the master bedroom open, then soaked it all in. The messy bed covered by a floral quilt, the nightstands that held trinkets and photos. Their dresser and closet and the table with more photos on it. Cloud took a box that they had found before their nap and started to place things inside, very carefully covering the photos and little knickknacks with old newspaper.

As he worked on the room he thought back to Aerith. Lycanthropy was never meant to be cured, that's what she said. She said to go to the Ancient Capital. Were the answers there? What did the Cetra have to do with this? Maybe, Cloud thought, it was some variation of Jenova's infection. He scratched that idea out by virtue of Aerith being unwary about it.

His hand came to the little wolf statue Tifa had bought him for his birthday, and he studied it quietly. The wolf looked serene and sure of itself in Cloud's eye, the complete opposite to what he felt. He was still anxious and no where near sure of himself. He wrapped up the little treasure carefully before adding it to the box and going for a photo of the family.

Aerith was right, though. His friends were there for him, just like he would be. Tifa was there for him just like he would have been there for him. It was just a give and take, and he was sure to give for all the taking he felt he was doing. Another item was wrapped up, and he sniffled. The air here smelled like Tifa and he, that scent that was theirs. Would it be the same when they found a new place to live?

Cloud glanced out the window after opening the blinds to let in a little more light. He helped build and evacuate this city, helped protect it. He felt not a little bitterness, but this was the price he paid for not being known widely for his deeds. His head turned to look down the hall, the whispers of the children still hitting his ears. He was more upset for them. They had never dealt with anything but the city.

Rocket Town wasn't exactly rural, but it wasn't a city, either. What's more is that they might end up at an outpost, building a new village. Would the kids be alright with that? Maybe as long as they could still contact their friends. He figured they would need cellphones eventually, anyway. Cloud wondered if he could help home-school them again, their classes were a bit more than the education he had ever gotten. He wasn't stupid and researched whatever he needed to, but that wasn't a proper education.

Maybe what mattered was that they learned, regardless.

His mind turned to the Junon mob. They were going to have to go into hiding regardless if last night happened or not. It was just a permanent move, now. Cloud's eyes narrowed as he tossed in a few soft items. Miles had his immediate ire but that mob was going to get his full rage soon. If anything, he was going to take out all of his frustrations on them. With his friends and possibly even the Turks, they were going to find this elusive mob boss and finish off as many members as they could before they could scurry away.

Shutting the box and moving it to the wall he sighed. He hoped that Evan, Yuffie and Tseng would get here safe and sound. The Turks were sticking their necks out for him yet again, and he remembered Reno's words in the church. They did have a lot of bad blood between them, but who among the Turks or AVALANCHE had clean hands? Friends...Cloud would take the offer for all it was worth.

 _'Come home safe, guys.'_


	53. Good Times, Bad Times

"Still keeping Miles here, Elena?" Tifa asked with a tired voice.

Elena looked back at the pregnant woman, glancing at her belly and then her eyes. Her face softened from the cold professional glare that had been holding down Miles as she waited for Tseng to get back to a more friendly, worried expression. "Yeah. He might be needed when those three get back." She motioned towards the back of the bar, and quieted her voice. "If you need to handle anything upstairs, we should be fine."

Tifa chewed on her lip and looked around. If a mob showed up again there were enough people to handle it. Barret was still hanging near Elena and Cid was talking to Reggs and his friends. Hirdthag leaned against the wall nearby, watching everyone quietly; Tifa wondered what he was thinking. Despite her anger at her husband earlier, Elly seemed concerned for his safety now. Miles himself tried to look nonplussed by the Turk, but he seemed to know well enough that he wasn't going anywhere.

She nodded before going behind the counter and heading up the stairs, noticing Cloud sitting on the bed in a daze as she came closer. He had to hear her footsteps up the stairwell. Tifa came to sit next to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. He didn't look up.

"Cloud?"

He finally glanced at her, his eyes swirling with various emotions; guilt, hope, sadness and anger. His tense face relaxed some as he gazed at her. "Hey, Teef." His voice was flat.

She moved her hand to his face, moving his bangs and resting it on his cheek. "It's all a bit much still, isn't it?"

Cloud nodded faintly before looking away and into his lap, Tifa's hand falling away. "I'm sorry about this."

"You aren't the one that should feel sorry, Cloud." She leaned into him. "Something was probably going to happen sooner or later. But we can't control what other people do."

He nodded faintly before quietly sighing and rubbing his hands. "I just think...The kids are upset because they're gonna have to start over somewhere, and there's nothing I can do for them. You're gonna lose your bar, and I feel powerless to stop any of it."

Tifa raised a brow. She decided he needed to know he wasn't the only one who felt helpless sometimes. "You feel powerless? There's a crime mob after us, and I'm too pregnant to stomp over to Junon and kick their asses. You aren't powerless in the least." She tilted her head a little. "But I must be a burden to you, all things considered."

He snapped his head up, frowning at her. "Of course not!"

Tifa half-smiled. "Are you sure? Sometimes I think so."

Cloud's frown deepened. "Why would you ever think that?"

She turned to her hands, touching a finger with each reason. "I'm pregnant, so I'm no help in a fight. If I get hurt like last night, it might get you too angry to control. I bet I'll barely be any help moving, with these swollen feet of mine..." Tifa stopped counting her fingers. "You've had to help me in the bar lately. Some days I could barely keep up." She hated having to rely on him when he had other things that needed to be done. That and her occasional mood swings that sometimes made her sulk or be less accommodating towards flirting patrons.

"That's my fault for getting you pregnant in the first place."

Tifa frowned at him. "That's not a fault, Cloud. I'm happy I'm having your child." She moved her hand to his and rubbed it. "Just like I'm happy I'm here with you. There's complications, but we'll weather it like we always do."

Cloud held Tifa close, his arm on her shoulders. She could tell he was gauging her scent. It was still a little funny to her how he took to scents so quickly, checking how people felt around him through his nose. A face could lie, but a scent would not, he had said one day. She let out a little sigh and snuggled his shoulder. "We beat Sephiroth. A move is nothing to us. Besides, I don't think I could bartend forever. Especially not with a baby on the way." She let out a humorless chortle. "The bar helped distract my thoughts when the guilt hit hard, but it gets tiresome." Even married, how many womanizers came to bother her? Too many.

"Hm. I know we can start over. But the kids..."

Tifa nodded. "They'll adapt. I know it's unfair to them, but it's nothing they can't survive. We'll be there to help them." What else could be said?

Cloud nodded slowly, Tifa's words encouraging him further. "No giving up..." He looked down at the boxes, empty and full and partially filled. These things would be stored here until they find their new home. For now they wanted a few things set away as they waited for news on the Aldives, suitcases with clothing already filled before their nap. Barret's truck would be a big help when it was time to move everything.

Reeve said he would have a few peacekeepers posted at the closed bar until the population calmed down. Tifa still had liquor stores, and those would be tempting to any thieves in the area. She looked about their bedroom again, immediately wistful. She would miss the familiar comfort of their home above the bar.

They worked quietly on a few more boxes as they waited for their friends to return from their mission. Cloud was feeling a little better from Tifa's talk; he knew he had to think ahead. There were things to do and no more time to to think badly of himself. He could always do that later, he supposed. Or maybe prove himself to everyone again. They probably didn't need him to prove himself, but he felt he had to. So, he would.

The door downstairs opened and footsteps thumped across the bar's floor. Cloud and Tifa looked at each other before walking towards the stairs to greet the three who had just returned. As they went by Marlene's room the door opened, Cait Sith slipping out. Tifa scooped him up and continued on down the stairs.

Tseng was putting away his phone, and Yuffie had a smug expression as she grinned up at the Turk. Evan looked pale but satisfied with himself.

"What's the damage?" Cid drawled as Cloud and Tifa came to the final step into the bar.

Yuffie flashed some papers. "They've been sneaky!" She placed them on an empty table. "It seems they weren't trying to get information on just any old werewolves workin' for the WRO. Just trying to identify Cloud as one. So like, the thing is, they wanted enough evidence to be absolutely certain he was what the rumors thought he was..."

"The Aldives were looking for Cloud. Just him," Cait Sith responded flatly.

She rustled through the papers. "Yeah. It's just a paper receipt of costs and what they asked the detective to look for. I wonder what for?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes and looked down. "Just me?"

Evan nodded. "Yeah. I guess Marshall isn't as good a detective as I am," he joked. "Or maybe you've just been careful recently."

The spiky haired warrior let out a skeptical snort as he looked up at the detective. "Sloppy, like you've said before."

"They knew our connections to Reeve, remember?" Tifa remembered the night they met the Aldives at the school.

Cait Sith rubbed his chin as he rested in Tifa's arm. "For what purpose? They weren't seriously going to blackmail you over this, were they?"

Cloud shrugged. "What other reason do they have?"

"I suppose it was a bit tempting," Tifa said. "They could hold it over both you and Cloud easily."

The cat sighed. "Right. Well, I guess that's done and over with."

Tseng took out his few papers. "They had a few correspondences with a low-key gang here in Edge. This is a receipt of the money they agreed to pay to them for kidnapping your daughter." He looked at Miles. Elly had her hands up to her mouth in shock. "It seems it was going to be political blackmail."

Reggs sat up from his seat, hands on the table. "That guy was working for the Aldives?" He looked down, eyes towards his abdomen. "He tried to kill me."

"I suppose the Aldives really had no clue what you were, then. If they even suspected it they would have told the kidnapper to catch her while you weren't around," Alann remarked. "Or bring some silvered weapon."

"What the hell were they thinking?" Evan wondered.

Tseng shrugged. "They were probably trying to climb the political ladder with calculated risks."

Cloud groaned. His recent troubles were because of a mob and political try-hards. "You know, maybe I should thank you for forcing my family to move," he said dryly to Miles. "Because if this is the political future of Edge I'd like to be far from it."

Miles snorted. He was still acting defiant, but it seemed he was wearing down some. "My name is sullied and soon the Aldives will be, too. I'm not sure what it will mean for the WRO at this point."

Cloud raised a brow. "Are you saying the others are more reasonable than either of you?" He walked to the front of the counter and leaned on it. "Not that the population is, especially after last night. They might not want the WRO here regardless."

"There's nothing I could do if they wished that. The citizens trust the WRO more than they had when it first formed, but talk of werewolves working for them has trust at an all-time low. Now, it's confirmed." Miles sighed, finally looking defeated. "I don't know how they think we're going to protect them now. Edge doesn't have the firepower to keep monsters at bay, let alone werewolves."

"I killed a lot of them, but I'm afraid the remaining population is going to be bolder after I leave. That blood is on both you and the Aldives' hands."

"I'm sure I can work something out eventually," Cait Sith said. "Right now we have an even bigger fish to fry in Junon."

Barret tapped his foot. "This's bullshit. C'mon, the sooner we get outta here, the sooner we can go to Junon and finish those suckas." Cloud nodded and turned around towards the stairs, ready to gather up the children and their things. He didn't want to see or smell Miles right now.

Cait Sith moved out of Tifa's arm to stand on the ground. "I'll be stickin' around Edge fer now. Don't ye worry none, Reeve'll find ye in Rocket Town!"

Tifa nodded at the cat, then walked up to Elly, who still held a look of shock on her face. She shook her head. "All of this over politics..."

Tifa nodded. "The more things change, the more they stay the same, it seems." Her voice held restrained bitterness, none directed towards the poor woman in front of her. She felt bad for Elly; she was a victim of unseen machinations too.

Elly looked down at the floor and then slowly back at Tifa. "I'll keep in contact with Reggs. I know I'm just burdening you further, but please, watch over my son." Her eyes were watery. Tifa brought her in for a hug; she understood how hard this was on Reggs' mother.

"We'll watch after him."

* * *

They said their goodbyes to everyone left before hopping into the back of Barret's truck with their suitcases and whatever they had decided was too valuable in one fashion or another to leave behind. Reggs' friends were downcast despite the cheerful banter they shared before he had to go, but they promised they would visit his new home to torment him. Elly and Sophia had hugged him tight, but neither he nor his father spoke. They were still tense towards each other, as if ready to fight.

Elena and Tseng left with Evan and Vits, the child holding an unfavorable gaze at the Turks. They would see what else they could find out about the Junon mob, Tseng had promised. It was in Shinra's best interests after all, he said with the subtlest hint of a smile on his face. Cloud understood all too well what he meant; he had been keeping Evan and his family safe when the Turks were too busy to keep tabs.

As much as he wanted it upon Miles, he quietly asked them not to harm him. Elly and Sophia needed him there safe and in one piece, though Cloud assured Tseng he wouldn't mind it if he used him for a little political maneuvering. He deserved more than the Turks merely breathing down his back for the trouble he had caused, but it would be enough for him.

The children said their final goodbyes to each other, hoping to visit in the summer. Evan said he might have to make a road-trip of it despite his reluctance to go out in the wilderness again, Cid responding that he can take the Shera when it was in the city. After all, he went through the trouble of helping out Cloud.

Rosa looked up at Cloud as he loaded Fenrir up into the truck. "Uncle Merle said Edge is gonna feel a lot less safe without that mutt runnin' around," she said with a wistful smile.

He snorted, then secured the bike inside before hopping out. "I'm glad he thinks a bit more of me now." Cloud looked up at the picture the children had painted for him, and he plucked it off of the wall. Flowers, Fenrir and a monster he was about to kill as Tifa hung onto his backside. This is what his kids thought of him; something warm welled in his chest. He looked back at Rosa. "Thank you for giving me a chance, too."

"You aren't so bad," she said as she looked down.

If only she knew the things he had done in the past, he thought. Cloud placed the framed picture down and looked towards the boxes that held some of their old adventuring gear. There was a small box that held some of the tinier treasures. "Valdt used Sleep on you, didn't he?" he asked as he rummaged through it. "Zeph told me that he used it on him."

Rosa shifted on her feet uncomfortably. "Yes."

Cloud turned back to her, a ring in his hand. She noticed there was a little blue stone on it. He walked over to her, bent down and took her left hand; he then dropped the ring onto her palm. "Wear this. If someone tries to sleep you again, it'll get them instead."

She looked down at the bauble skeptically as she tried it on. It was loose, even on her thumb. "Really? I don't see how..."

"Do you want a demonstration?" He already had the materia box out and ready to toss into the truck. Before she could respond he stood up and opened it, and took out one of the orbs. Rosa took a step back as he stretched his hand out; Zeph had groused over Cloud's demonstration of his ribbon to her.

She wasn't in the mood for a nap if this didn't work.

His eyes flashed mako green for just an instant, and she felt like something was bouncing off of a film in front of her. Cloud had a pale green light surround him for a few moments before he smiled and put the materia away. "That was a cure spell. Make sure your ring is off before anyone uses magical healing on you, or they'll get it instead." He doubted she would come across someone with a Restore materia, the crystals had become increasingly rare since the fall of Shinra.

She looked down at the ring again. "You're giving me this?" she whispered.

"I can't be there for you and your uncle like I said I would be...And I put you both through a lot of pain, even if it wasn't intentional. So, please keep it." It wasn't as if he had a use for half the things they had stowed away. He thought it best someone vulnerable had it.

Rosa nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Cloud."

* * *

It was a silent ride to the Shera. Cloud could hear the bustle of the city beyond the dark, enclosed space that kept them away from all the judgemental stares of a scornful city. Denzel hadn't said much at all since hugging Natsumi goodbye, the boy sitting by himself in a dark corner. He smelled angry and forlorn, but Cloud wasn't sure where his anger was focused on. Maybe it was everything.

When the truck was loaded onto the Shera they hopped out, allowed to wander. Zeph seemed to have been snapped out of his mournful mood by the new place. "This is an airship?"

Tifa nodded. "Yep. Try and stay out of the way of the workers, sweetie."

"Wait, I can look around?"

Cid nodded. "Yeah. Just stay outta trouble, squirt." He gave Zeph a pat on the shoulder.

Cloud and Tifa walked towards one of the rooms set aside for breaks. They sat next to each other in silence, listening to Barret and Yuffie talk to the children as they passed by. Cloud got another glance at Denzel; he too seemed occupied with the airship for now. That was good. He would brood some more later, but at least he was distracted.

He himself felt mentally and physically exhausted. He felt emotionally better with a new goal in mind and Tifa's talk still fresh in his mind. He felt bad that She and Yuffie had gone through the trouble of making a wedding party, and the day before they had to leave. That was the price of complacency.

"It'll be nice to see Shera again," Tifa said after many minutes of silence.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

She hummed. "She was going to come to the party. I guess that's scrapped for the time being..."

He looked down. "...Yeah."

Tifa put her hand on his back. "Well, at least we'll see everyone tomorrow. I suppose that didn't change at all."

Cloud glanced back up and gave her a short nod. "Hopefully we'll have a lead finally. I was gettin' tired of waiting for news on this crime lord or whatever he thinks he is. I think now is a good time to get proactive."

She smiled at him. "Can you hit him extra hard for me?"

He couldn't help but grin lopsidedly at her cute plea. "You know I will."

They rested for many minutes afterwards until they decided to take a look at the bridge as the ship began to move. The children and Reggs were there, fascinated by the terrain flowing below them. Fascinated, and sullen. Edge was slowly moving away from them, and Cloud and Tifa joined in their final look at the city they helped build and protect. They couldn't help but feel sad, too.

It looked so grey and makeshift from up in the sky, Cloud decided. It had always been grey, of course; it was made of scrap metal from Midgar's ruins. The city had come a long way from its start five years ago, slowly expanding further into the Midgar Wastes.

He felt a bit surprised that this hodgepodge of metal had been his home for five years. The city was all the children really knew. He and Tifa were from the country, so it wouldn't be hard to adapt. Cloud turned to look at the three, still silent and staring. He looked back at the almost gone city. All they knew, gone. It was a horrible feeling, he knew. Perhaps not as jarring as his own experience, but all the same he understood.

"Shucks, I'm sure some day you'll come back when things calm down. Can't keep ya away forever," Cid said from his perch at the wheel.

"It's a bit different when you're just visiting what used to be your home," Tifa said as she turned to speak. She knew that feeling all too well.

Cid waved his hand. "Yeah, I ain't gonna argue that." He looked down at his watch. "We should be in Rocket Town around eight, so make yourselves comfortable. I already told Shera to expect company."

"Right," Cloud sighed out. The last time he had seen Shera was the afternoon before his father changed his life. She had served the then-courier tea and a light lunch as he caught up with she and Cid after delivering to their neighbor.

The airship began to speed up, heading higher and towards the sea. Cloud sat down by the viewing glass, watching as the ground opened up to water after passing Midgar. He felt Tifa leave after squeezing his shoulder, probably to tend to the children. The sea was always peaceful to look at. Watching the world go by was something he enjoyed doing as they went from place to place before their confrontation with Sephiroth. It helped him think.

So, he thought.

He wondered how they were going to find the man responsible for the failed assassins. Cloud knew Reeve had been trying to find him ever since those labs were discovered months ago. He figured they had gone deeper into hiding and just bided their time, waiting for him to become complacent as time went on. He could admit he had; there were other matters to attend to in Edge that took up his time and thoughts.

The children, the baby, helping Tifa in the bar, hunting werewolves and guiding Reggs...His plate had been overflowing. Those instincts of his twinged, awakening as he thought. He was kicked out of his territory. Cloud shook his head and continued to look at the deep blue waters far below. It'll be fine, he'll find another territory. One where his family would be safe and happy.

He glanced at the children and Tifa before returning his gaze to the horizon. Happy enough. He had to provide. That's what alpha males did, provide for their pack. Cloud took in a deep breath. One thing at a time, he thought. His family would be safe in Rocket Town while he hunted down every one of those monsters in Junon before beginning the search for a place to settle down.

His mind went to Aerith. The answers he seeked were in the Forgotten Capital...That trip would come, too. He hadn't spoken to Tifa about it yet, but she knew he was at the church earlier. He would have to tell her what Aerith said. It's not like Tifa wouldn't believe him, he mused.

He hoped to visit it again after the city calmed down.

"Enjoying the view?" Hirdthag began to sit next to Cloud, looking out the window.

He eyed Hirdthag before again looking at the scenery. "Mm."

His father sighed. "I think your boy still blames me. I can't find fault in his thinking."

Cloud shrugged. "You didn't pique the interest of a mobster and stupid wannabe politicians."

Hirdthag chuckled. It was bitter and dry. "I brought you into this mess, Denzel said it himself. I'm...sorry."

The warrior looked at his father, his eyes sorrowful. He must have gotten the expressive eyes from his father, Cloud supposed. His shade of blue and eye shape was from his mother, but her eyes could hide emotions much better. He had to wonder what else he inherited from his father, at least in terms of personality. Physically he knew what he had been bequeathed.

Cloud shook his head. His life would have been much happier presently without the subject of werewolves, at least he would have been until Yuffie was kidnapped. How much had he atoned for through the months? How many people did he save because of his father's choice that night? "I'm not bitter about it."

Hirdthag grunted, then looked up at the sky. The Shera was pushing through some clouds. "I've made a lot of bad decisions in the past because of my bitterness, my helplessness." He wrung his hands, not looking at Cloud. "I guess I've had time to think through everything. Second chances aren't without pain."

Cloud nodded. He knew that very well. "...You aren't alone anymore, though." Neither was he.

"I know that." Hirdthag let out a long sigh. "I'll be there with you when it's time to fight, Cloud. They won't know what hit them after we're through with them."

The rest of the afternoon and evening was mostly quiet as they traveled on the airship, and eventually Cloud tore himself from the bridge and walked about the Shera. The children and even Reggs seemed preoccupied with the machinery of the flying contraption, occasionally finding one of them studying the exposed gears and doodads on some of the walls. Barret was doting on Marlene, taking her here and there as Tifa handled the boys.

Cloud helped her keep the boys busy, and it seemed to improve their moods further. He insisted she rest somewhere, and that he could handle them by himself. By the time they reached Rocket Town, all Cloud wanted to do was sleep. A short trip in the truck took them to Cid's house, and they flowed in on shuffling feet.

The kitchen was large and doubled as a dining room, the walls green and the cabinets white. The floor was a tile of a rusty color, and the scent of food and a variety of teas hit Cloud's nose. Even the first time he came here with the crazy request of "borrowing" the Crazy Bronco, this place was comforting.

Reggs was uncomfortable, if his scent was anything to go off of. Cloud wondered if he had ever been so far from the city. The teen looked down at Cloud for some sort of reassurance, and the warrior nodded slowly at him; it was alright, he wasn't going to be hunted here.

Shera came out from the hallway, smiling at the motley group that formed in her kitchen. She was wearing her long auburn hair in her typical top ponytail, a loose green turtleneck and long brown pants. "Long time no see, everyone." She looked at Reggs and then Hirdthag as she adjusted her glasses. "Except for you two. Welcome to our home."

Reggs mumbled a thank you as he rubbed the back of his neck, and Hirdthag gave his hostess a strong nod in gratitude.

"Thank you so much for having us on such short notice, Shera." Tifa said as she walked over to embrace the older woman. Shera held to her tightly, then looked at the baby bump sported by the pugilist.

"Cid said you were expecting. How far along are you?" she asked quietly.

"A little over five months."

Shera's smile widened. "I can't wait to see your baby."

Cid put his hands on his hips. "Alright, let's get you all settled down in the guest room. Looks like it's gonna be like old times, 'cause It's only got two beds. If one of you wanna use the couch, that's fine too."

"I ain't sleepin' next to Spiky. He drools." Barret remarked as they filed down the hall.

Cloud scowled. "At least I don't wake everyone up with my snoring. You sound like a chainsaw."

Yuffie nodded. "It sucks sleeping next to either of you."

"Um, you kick in your sleep, _princess_." Cloud drawled out in a scathing voice.

Cid laughed. "Yeah, she got you right in the balls that one night. You were whimperin' like a beat puppy in that tent."

The warrior held a hand to his face and groaned as a chorus of snickering hit his ears. He remembered it. He remembered waking up to the teenage ninja muttering in her sleep, he remembered mumbling a question back at her, and he remembered her knee swiftly connecting with his privates a second later. He had gasped before he let out a low, short, pained groan as he cupped himself from any further attacks.

Tifa was on his other side, and he bit his lip in an attempt to not wake her. She didn't need to see him like this. He heard a bit of laughter from the entrance of the tent; Cid and Barret were chuckling in his direction, pointing as he lifted his head up. Cloud figured they had heard him speak to Yuffie. Again he let out a pained groan, then a short sigh as a sharp pain crossed him again. Yuffie had kneed him _hard_.

Tifa held his shoulder after finishing her giggle. "You don't drool...that much," she whispered into his ear with a smirk.

"Good to know..."

It wasn't a particularly small room, but it was going to be crowded. They decided the children and Tifa would get the beds, insisting on it in her case. She was pregnant and she needed a soft bed, Cloud said. Marlene could sleep next to her. The rest of them could use the floor or the couch.

Cid left to fetch as many blankets and pillows as was needed, and Cloud looked about, trying to find the best place for them to congregate. He pointed at the large space between the beds. "I think we can fit in here, even if Barret's gonna take up most of the space."

"Yeah. Maybe I can use his shoulder as a hard pillow," Yuffie said in a disinterested voice as she teased him.

"Didn't know you doubled as a pillow, Barret," Hirdthag said with a smirk.

Barret sighed heavily. "Jes like old times, gonna give me shit like this..."

"...I kinda missed it," Cloud said. He turned to Reggs. "You can sleep in here with us, or on the couch."

The teen looked this way and that. "I...if no one is gonna use the couch, I guess I will." He really didn't want to intrude either way. He felt like a complete outsider, Cloud was the only person there that was tethering him to the group.

Cloud nodded. "Okay." He turned to the children. "Denzel, Zeph, you two'll bunk together. Marlene, you'll sleep next to Tifa."

The three scrambled to stake out which bed they wanted. They looked the same but of course to siblings they had to have a small competition of it. Which one was better, which had nicer blankets. It was all intuitive. Cid shuffled into the room a few moments later, dragging a large pile of blankets and pillows behind him.

"Have fun makin' camp."

As the adults fussed with the materials dumped on them and the children watched, Tifa went to the kitchen to help Shera with her cooking. The scientist looked up from the open oven and smiled before closing it again and approaching Tifa. "Enjoying your stay so far?"

Tifa nodded. "I thought I'd help you with dinner preparations. There's a lot of mouths to feed."

"Yeah, there are. I guess I could use some help with some sides." She motioned towards the stovetop. The two women settled into working on one thing or another, occasionally hearing Barret's voice rise up as the others teased. Tifa smiled, certain he was giving them just as much grief. Still, she thought, he opened up that can of worms himself.

"I'm sorry about your wedding party, Tifa," Shera began as she mashed potatoes in a pot.

Tifa's eyes flickered towards her as she placed the buns Shera baked earlier into a small basket. "I'm sure we'll have one later," she sighed out.

Shera could hear the disappointment in her voice. "Hm. It's so hard to get everyone together, too...They'll be here tomorrow."

"Yeah. That'll be nice."

Shera hummed to herself, deep in thought as she finished the mashed potatoes and placed them in a serving container. Tifa took out the meat cooking in the oven and placed it on the back of the cooling stove top to settle. It smelled like pork roast, and despite how exhausted she was she was more hungry than anything. She glanced at her belly. She had to feed that baby growing inside of her.

"Cloud won't be leaving tomorrow right away, will he?" Shera asked suddenly.

Tifa looked at her. "No, probably the day after tomorrow."

Shera nodded. "Well, he probably needs a little time to clear his mind before jumping into dangerous territory."

"Yeah."

"Cid told me what happened to Cloud as soon as he found out." Shera's hazel eyes looked down. "It must have been challenging."

Tifa nodded as she placed cooked vegetables in a serving container. "There's been challenges, but between us and the kids it's been fine. But when the city found out..."

"I see. I had been fretting since I was told why you were all coming. But I suppose that's a bit predictable of me." Shera had a wry grin on her face. Tifa smiled back.

They began filling up the table with prepared food; The table had been elongated before they arrived, with eight chairs surrounding it. There were a few chairs by one of the walls, so no one would have to sit on the floor at least. The rest of the group began to trickle in as the women finished placing the food down, and Cid went to one of the cabinets to fish out plates for his guests. He had a large stack of multicolored ceramic in his hands that he placed on a clear part of the table.

"Yeah, go ahead and dig in."

Shera was very happy she listened to Cid when he said to buy a large roast and 'not those sissy things you gotta buy for a small party'. She noticed Cloud's fixation on the meat, collecting only a small amount of mashed potatoes with enough gravy to cover them up. Reggs and Hirdthag shunned the vegetables as well, happily munching on their slices of meat and oblivious to the scientist studying them.

Well, at least they liked the meat.

"You gonna leave some for the rest of us? Damn," Barret grumbled as Cloud went to snatch another slice.

Reggs blushed furiously as he looked up from his plate, sitting in his chair by the wall. He thought Barret might have been scolding him. "S-sorry..."

Barret rolled his eyes. "Not you, that one!" He jabbed his fork in Cloud's direction, the blond smirking as he chewed on a piece of meat.

"Man's gotta eat," Cloud said. It was something Barret said often. The children were snickering as the adults continued their banter.

"Yeah, you ain't the only man needin' to eat, Spiky." Barret retorted.

Cid motioned towards the meat. "Better stop your bitchin' and snag some before it's all gone."

Barret stabbed a piece to put on his plate. "Surprised there's any left."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey old man, pass the peas, will ya?" Yuffie asked of Cid while pointing with her fork.

He picked up the bowl and plopped it in front of her, spilling a few onto her potatoes. "'Least someone here enjoys their roughage."

Tifa nodded. "Everything's delicious, Shera. Thank you."

They finished their meal with some more banter here and there, putting Cloud and the others in better spirits. Being with them all in such close quarters again made him temporarily forget his troubles, but something was itching at him as he looked at Shera. He walked up to her as Tifa looked on from the hallway.

Tifa was getting the children ready for bed when she noticed Cloud taking Shera outside through the front door. She had raised a brow but thought nothing more of it as she ushered the children into their chosen beds. They looked exhausted. "I'll show you three around town tomorrow."

They had barely gotten a glimpse of the town in the darkness, but picked up the scent of grasses and the sound of tree leaves in the wind. It wasn't even cold out. "It feels like spring out there," Zeph remarked.

"Remember they said that in class?" Denzel replied.

Tifa nodded. "Rocket Town and the surrounding area doesn't get very cold at all. It has a sort of dry and wet season cycle, though." Far to the east was Nibelheim, the mountains and the elevation of the Nibel area doing the weather no favors. She finished tucking them in and headed back to the living room to check on Reggs, the teen still anxious.

"Think you'll be able to get some sleep?"

He bit his lip, looking up at Tifa. "I-I guess. I feel out of sorts..."

"I understand. But hey, you're safe here. I know it's not home for you, but no one is going to try and hurt you here, Reggs," Tifa said in a reassuring voice.

He nodded. "I know. Thanks for putting up with me. I'm still kinda floored I wasn't kicked to the curb after everything that happened..."

She put her hands on her hips. "We wouldn't do that. Anyway, things should settle down after a while, and your friends and family can visit. For now, we'll keep you as part of our little group." She smiled at him.

Reggs smiled back weakly. "I...Thanks, Tifa."

Cloud and Shera returned as Tifa was about to go back down the hallway, the scientist beet red and making no eye contact with anyone nearby. Cloud had a light blush on his cheeks as he walked up to Tifa. "Well, I'm beat."

"Cloud?"

He grabbed Tifa by the waist. "Let's get some sleep. Night, Shera," he said as casually as he could.

"N-night..." she weakly replied back.

"Cloud." Tifa's whisper was harsh. "Why is Shera acting strange?"

"Uh, she can tell you later." He felt Tifa's eyes burning into the side of his head as she released his grip on her. "I promised not to say a word, Teef."

She sighed heavily. "Fine." Tifa sulked towards the bed and laid down next to Marlene. Yep, Cloud could definitely smell irritation, but he said he wouldn't say anything. He looked down at his blankets and pillow, then back at Tifa, who was casting a pouty glare at him. Cloud decided to chalk it up to pregnancy hormones and not just because he wouldn't tell her what happened.

Cloud settled down next to Barret after pulling off his boots and shirt, the close quarters making him rub up against his friend's skin. He didn't mind at all, really. Everyone's presence in the room was comforting. He was sure they felt the same, too.

He settled further as Hirdthag came in and turned off the light, everyone mumbling their good-nights to each other. Cloud closed his eyes so the glow wouldn't bother Barret or Marlene, but sniffed quietly for a few moments and letting the mingled scents relax him further. He had been through hell and would again go through hell, but at this very moment he felt content, almost happy.

Cloud leaned his head toward Barret's arm before quickly falling asleep, his exhaustion from the long day finally taking him. The last thing he heard was the large man next to him mumbling about how he was sure he would find his arm in a pool of werewolf drool in the morning.


	54. What Friends Are For

**A/N: This one is long. Also I've been working on some drabbles for Zeph on AO3, because I think he needed some development on his side.  
**

 **It's almost been a year since I started this fanfic, and I guess my writing has slowly gotten better. I'm still working on editing and adding things I forgot to mention, fixing things I didn't like...Thanks for sticking around so long. And don't worry, we'll get to that happy ending some day.**

* * *

Cloud snorted awake, the scent of bacon stirring him from his sleep. His body felt refreshed after the deep sleep that took him the night before. He glanced around as he sat up, taking in where everyone was. Barret was sawing logs next to he and Yuffie, the ninja turning onto her side a moment later.

Denzel and Zeph were sleeping soundly on the bed above Yuffie. Zeph had kicked his covers off and Denzel lay on his back with a shoulder over his sibling's arm and his eyes fluttering from some dream. It was still a bit early if the slowly growing light in the room was any indication, so perhaps there was time for one more dream before reality came to Denzel, Cloud thought.

Hirdthag was curled up near their feet. Cloud could see a few tufts of short, dirty blond spikes fluffed towards the ceiling, his face half hidden in a pillow. He wondered if he would look like his father at all at his age, a stripe of hair behind his ears littered with silver and white hairs becoming more prominent as the years went by.

Cloud scratched the side of his cheek, short stubble rough on his fingers. How old was Hirdthag, anyway? His mother had been thirty three when she died, so Cloud figured he wasn't even in his fifties yet. He looked peaceful in sleep, not someone who had hunted down humans for nearly half of his life.

Cloud pulled his attention to the bed next to him. Tifa was still asleep next to Marlene. It had become a more usual occurrence that he would wake before her as her pregnancy wore on; it was something that used to only happen sporadically. Many mornings Cloud would have to gently nudge her awake, groggy and pleading for five more minutes. After yesterday, he would let her sleep in. There wasn't a bar to work anymore.

The thought laid heavy on him.

He rubbed his wet lips with his forearm before grabbing his shirt and putting it on. He then stood up and shuffled out of the bedroom quietly, hoping Barret's snores masked his footfalls. Cloud made his way to the bathroom to freshen up a little before heading into the kitchen.

Reggs and Shera were there, the teen nursing a cup of coffee as the latter worked on breakfast. Shera glanced at Cloud and gave him a shy greeting that he returned before helping himself to some coffee. "Cid already leave?" Cloud mumbled before sipping his drink and sitting next to Reggs.

Shera nodded. "He left early. He said he should be back with the others around noon."

"I see." Cloud glanced at Reggs as he came to sit next to him. He looked stressed out, just like the night he had to watch the teen for his first Full Moon. "Hey."

Reggs looked up from his coffee. "Morning."

Cloud sniffed the air as subtly as he could. He thought Zeph could be anxious, but this was a whole new level. "Maybe later on today you can get acquainted with the town. The people here are pretty nice...A lot of them are scientists and engineers." That should keep his mind off things, Cloud hoped.

Reggs quietly nodded before returning to his coffee. Slowly, stirring was heard from the guest room and people shuffled out, grasping for coffee mugs to shake off what was left of their grogginess.

Barret glared at Cloud. "Knew you was gonna drool on my arm."

"No I didn't," Cloud denied the accusation as he looked into his mug. "I could barely sleep because you sounded like a dying chainsaw."

The big man shook his head as he sat next to Marlene, ignoring the quip about his snoring. "Like a damn floodgate opened." They heard some tired snickering from Yuffie and even Reggs. At least it lightened the mood, Cloud thought, even if it was at his expense.

The children were bleary eyed and looked about ready to drop their heads on the table. Cloud chalked it up to jet-lag, they were a long way from home, after all. They had left around four in the afternoon and showed up at eight in the evening in Rocket Town. That was going to mess with their internal clocks.

Denzel sat next to Cloud, and he put a hand on his back. He wasn't as angry as he was yesterday, or at least not yet. It was too early to tell if he would be or if something would set him off later, but he did smell a little forlorn. Denzel looked up at his guardian, his sleepy eyes making him look lost. "You can borrow my phone and talk to Natsumi later, okay?"

That seemed to improve the child's gloomy disposition, and he smiled tiredly at Cloud with a nod. Cloud wasn't about to let the children go without contact from their friends if he could help it.

Tifa sat opposite Cloud, and he was greeted with a piercing look after she glanced at Shera. He bit his lip and looked down into his coffee mug. He heard her sigh and smelled agitation from her. He wanted to blurt it out, but it wasn't his duty. He did what had to be done and said what had to be said to Shera. The rest was on her.

He looked back at Shera and decided to help her put the food on the table. He stood up and walked towards the counter, taking two of the larger platters. "I got this."

She shyly nodded. "Thanks, Cloud."

They finished placing the food on the table, Cloud getting narrowed eyes from Tifa and he returning a furrowed brow before he sat back down. He wished he knew what she was thinking right now.

Cloud picked a few things out, not particularly hungry this morning. "Maybe we can get a plan going."

Yuffie shrugged. "Until the Turks or the WRO get the information we need, we don't have much to plan with, Spike."

He grunted. "I don't wanna mooch that long..."

"There's a WRO building in town, you know that," she replied before sipping her coffee. "Reeve'll probably let you stay there until you find a place, if you're that worried."

Shera frowned. "It's no problem at all that you're here. You kept us when I visited the church spring, and whenever Cid was in the city you let him stay." A small smile grew on her face. "I know how fussy he can be."

Cloud chuckled and half smiled. "Right." He nibbled on a piece of bacon, and began thinking about the future. He had to find a place that would be safe for the family, and Reggs, too. If they could start a new village somewhere or join one that would be understanding, it wouldn't be nearly as troublesome as trying to convince an entire city of their benevolence.

Still, he thought, starting up a new village would be hard work. They would have to build homes, get electricity and plumbing up and running, and some sort of economy going. He figured Reeve would help with the modern amenities part, but they would still need revenue to keep things going.

If they went to an established village, they would have to convince the villagers to let them stay. Cloud knew he would have to be upfront about his lycanthropy because if they found out later it would have been better that they never settled there at all. He thought about settling in Rocket Town, but he wasn't sure what he and Tifa could do here. They already had guards and established bars and restaurants, and while Cloud knew his way around a motorcycle he didn't think he could be considered a grease monkey.

He wouldn't mind settling nearby if the townsfolk truly didn't mind his presence here, though. Maybe they would be alright with that.

"Cloud?"

He looked up from his plate to meet Tifa's eyes. She was frowning. "Hm?"

"Didn't you hear a damn thing I said?" Barret asked, exasperated.

"Sorry...I was thinking about something. What were you talking about?"

Barret rolled his eyes. "Was talkin' 'bout the meeting!"

Cloud shrugged. "Not much to talk about until we're all here."

Barret grumbled, then went back to his plate. Tifa still frowned at Cloud, and he looked down again to go back into his thoughts.

The rest of the morning was spent cleaning themselves up and getting the children and Reggs acquainted with the area. Cloud stayed close to Tifa, and while she still seemed unhappy with his tight lips, she was resigned when he said that Shera would probably tell her soon. "You know I wanna tell you..." he said close to her ear as they stood on the front porch.

She sighed, then nodded. "I know..."

He playfully smirked. "There's some things you didn't want to tell me, wasn't there?" He glanced at her baby bump.

"That was different!"

He opened the door to let Tifa through, not replying to her retort with anything but that growing smirk.

* * *

It wasn't much longer before the rest of the group entered Cid's house, filing into the kitchen quietly. Vincent took to his usual perch in the corner, leaning against the wall and watching silently. Shelke stood next to Hirdthag, who held a small smile on his face as she looked up at him in her usual, stoic manner before quietly greeting him.

Nanaki sat in front of Vincent, his ocher eye glancing up at Reggs as he stood near Cloud. The teen averted his eyes, not wanting to stare at whatever he was supposed to be; Reggs swore he had seen the beast at least once wandering the city, but he had no idea what it was doing with Cloud's group.

Cloud motioned towards the living room, the children peeking from behind the couch. "You don't have to stand around with us if you don't want to," he said quietly.

Reggs shook his head. "I feel like I'm a part of this."

Reeve leaned on the table in his usual down to business fashion, his dark eyes tired yet observing everyone in the room with a serious, calculating gaze. "It's been a while since we've all been together, hasn't it?" He sighed and stood up straight. "Rufus has allowed the Turks to help us with this current problem. Apparently it struck a nerve with him, though I'm not sure which nerve that would be."

Cloud knew what it was, because Evan could be a potential target for being his friend. He had been keeping Rufus' half brother safe most of last year, too. "Do they know how long it'll take to find out where they're hiding?"

Reeve shook his head. "I doubt it will take as long as it did for the WRO." He motioned at Yuffie. "She has been trying since we discovered their Kalm operation, but whoever is in charge made them go quiet, in Junon at least."

"With a few exceptions," Hirdthag said.

Barret nodded. "Sneaky as hell. They know Junon's ins and outs like the back of their hands."

"Be that as it may, their base might not even be in the city. Somewhere outside of Junon perhaps." Reeve shrugged. "We've purged any converted WRO personnel, which fortunately wasn't many. Now, we find this mob boss and put an end to him."

"And then we try to pick up where we left off," Tifa said in a soft, tired voice.

Reeve looked at her with resigned eyes. "I'm so sorry about this situation, Tifa," he said quietly.

She shrugged. "If they can't accept Cloud for what he is after everything he's done, it was just a matter of time before we would have to leave."

He nodded. "I suppose it was. Just like it would have been a matter of time before the public found out we were employing werewolves. Edge is strangely split on the matter, however."

Cloud knotted his brows together. "Split?"

"Yes. While most citizens are upset or afraid, there's a sizeable minority of people speaking out." Reeve had a tired grin on his face. "Many people you helped out over the months didn't forget you." He looked at Reggs next, his grin fading. "Your father's actions helped make this divide, and I'm unsure if his pride will allow him to come clean about you. Be as it may, he said he would take a more moderate position on the council until he's most likely booted out."

Reggs looked down. "I bet it's only because of my mother."

"If that's so I'll have to thank her personally. I doubt he'll get far because he kept this project secret from them, but he might be able to sway one or two to use reason." Reeve considered the Turks had much ado about it, but Elly would most likely be the boot to his ass on a constant basis.

Reggs looked back up and nodded. "He's friends with two of them, actually. I don't think you'll be able to get us back into Edge, but he might have some luck keeping the WRO in the city."

"Perhaps." Reeve looked thoughtful. "The Aldives had been arrested, and they do have their supporters. Rumors are going around that we trumped up charges on them."

"Shit. What do we have to do, show the damn documents to the public?" Barret asked no one in particular.

Cid grunted. "They'd probably think it's a forgery or some bullshit. Whoever is in charge of prosecution better throw the goddamn book at those people for the trouble they caused!"

Reeve rubbed his forehead with his finger and thumb. "To be frank, it will boil down to political manuvuering. As always."

"So they stand a chance of going free?" Shelke asked impassively.

"A chance. We have to tread very carefully; we don't want them to become martyrs nor do we want them going without punishment."

"Hm, it's an improvement over the old Shinra days but it's working against us." Tifa softly snorted at the irony of it all.

Reeve chuckled bitterly. "Just this once I wish I could. But, I can't let the WRO devolve into that. It's not a democracy, but people have rights and freedoms now. I can't take that away." He wouldn't. That world was dead.

The room quieted down and became heavy with a need for something to fill the gap. Cloud cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, figuring this was the best time to say anything. "I, um...I went to the church the other day..."

"What does that have to do with any of this?" Hirdthag asked incredulously. Tifa told him to hush.

Cloud glared at him, then looked back at the group. "...Aerith visited me."

"What did she say?" Nanaki inquired, getting a gasp out of Reggs.

The blond haired warrior looked down at the red beast. "She said the answers are at the Forgotten Capital." He paused, then pointed at himself. "Answers to this. It's not meant to be cured."

"Not meant to be cured? It would explain why our attempts at something to reverse the affliction, or vaccinate against it have been dead-ends so far," Reeve said as he stroked his goatee. "Did she say where in the city?"

Cloud shook his head. "No. But, I don't think she'd send me on a wild goose chase. There's something there..."

"When do you plan to travel there?" Vincent asked.

The warrior turned to his friend. "Dunno. I guess once the mob is finished off and we've found a place to call home again, then I can see what's behind this affliction."

Reeve let out a short chuckle. "Then I suppose we should try and get those two problems off of your plate quickly, because I'd love to know the whys and hows, too."

"I could go to the Forgotten Capital for you," Vincent offered.

Nanaki looked up at him, then Cloud. "I would join you."

"I don't know where or what form the information is, but if you think you have a chance of finding anything, I'd be grateful," Cloud said with a nod before turning to address the rest of the group. "I suppose while we wait for the Turks to get back to us, I should look for a place to settle. Some place we won't be harassed..." Cloud looked away. All this trouble over him. He hated being a bother.

"We can go over to the WRO building and take a look at the maps if you'd like," Reeve offered.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, as soon as we can."

* * *

Tifa walked along with the other two, desiring a look at these maps and assisting with the decision of where they could possibly end up living. She appraised the building they had entered; it was far less imposing than the building in Edge, only two stories high and plastered with a sand colored coating that made it appear much more welcoming.

The inside looked like it may have perhaps been a converted old school. Tifa figured since the WRO wasn't the government of the area it hadn't a need for much more outside of administrative needs and housing for personnel. Cid was a member of the WRO and leader of the airship division, but outside of that function he was for all intents and purposes the mayor of this town. She remembered he wouldn't consider himself that, however. Just the man with the most clout.

Reeve took them into a large room that had many chairs and a wall to wall display on the far end. He motioned them to sit where they pleased before taking a remote and turning on the display. A map of the world came into view and after a few moments a square area that surrounded Rocket Town was zoomed onto. Numerous white dots twinkled on the land mass.

Reeve motioned at the screen. "The white dots signify areas that would be promising for outposts that could eventually become villages and towns. They're close to clean water sources, in easily defensible terrain, and most aren't too far off from a hub." He pointed at one particular dot, far away from Rocket Town. "They are no further than two hundred miles out, and no closer than twenty."

Cloud hummed as he drummed his fingers on the table in front of him. He and Tifa took their time studying the screen, mumbling to each other or Reeve about this or that. Was it too close to other settlements, was it too far away, was it someplace the kids would like; questions like these painted their choices.

Out of the numerous dots lighting up the map there were three that they were interested in. Two of them were located near bays, one near a river. Cloud stood up and walked towards the screen, motioning towards the dots. "How about these?"

Reeve motioned towards one in the northwest. "This isn't a bad place if you want to start a port." He chuckled a little before continuing on, reading off the little data bubble on the display. "The weather is a little temperamental since it's so close to the North Sea, however."

His finger moved towards an area due west of Rocket Town. "The bay here is far less favorable for a port, but has a river leading out to sea. The surrounding area is of a higher elevation than the first spot. There's some forest nearby, as well. I would think that might be a positive in your book, Cloud."

Cloud nodded. "You know me pretty well, don't you?"

Reeve smirked before pointing at the last one, due south-southeast. "This one is further inland. It's located closer to the foothills that lead to the Nibel mountain range. The west side of the area is plains and the east gentle hills. There's some forest growing there, and there's a river and a lake."

Cloud looked closely at the last two areas mentioned, Tifa next to him now to study the screen with him. "I don't think we need a port, just a way to get to Rocket Town and back."

Tifa nodded. "I wouldn't mind being close to the sea, but a port town run by a werewolf might be unsettling to most." It almost sounded like the beginning of a silly children's story.

"Yeah, and I'm not versed in how to run a port, either." Cloud pointed at the two remaining areas. One was very far from Rocket Town, with a few smaller towns scattered along the way. The other was maybe sixty miles out, with a small village twenty miles north of it. "I wanna check this place out first," he said. "Tifa?"

"Yeah, that looks the most promising," she said as she casually pointed at the dot.

"Perhaps tomorrow, then." Reeve shut off the display and faced his friends. "Eventually people will have to settle there, but they'll have to go through extra screening. Unless you happened to just want a werewolf village, that is."

Cloud shrugged. "There's just me, Penny, Reggs and my father, and I don't know if any of them but Reggs wants to settle down here. Unless either you or I want it to end up being a hideaway, it'll have to grow with humans eventually." His mind went to the subject of the two hermits living in the Junon woods; they would have to tell Penny what happened before she wandered off again.

"We can probably figure that out later," Tifa said. She was more interested in starting up their new home before wondering who would eventually join them.

"Right." Cloud scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Well, there's two promising leads. I guess we're on our way to a new place to call our own, right?"

Tifa nodded with a small smile. "Yeah. It'll be interesting, living out in the country again."

Reeve walked towards the door with them, and into a hallway that led back out. "I wish you didn't have to leave your home. After everything you've done...I guess I'm still flabbergasted."

"It's not like we talk about everything we've done." Tifa shrugged. "It'll probably be a good thing for us in the end."

Cloud nodded. "I hope it is."

"I hope so, too." Reeve was at their side, hands behind his back.

Cloud looked at him. "I was meaning to ask, but how did your employees take the news?"

"More positively than Edge's citizens. Only a few of them seemed truly upset at the prospect, but most of them seemed strangely uncaring." Reeve shrugged. "Maybe it's because quite a few of them recognized you from the Deepground Incident, or your help during the Kalm operation and word got around."

"So I guess you aren't looking at a hostile takeover any time soon?" Tifa asked as they left the building.

"No, I don't think so."

Cloud smirked. "You can always hide with us if it comes to that."

Reeve chuckled. "I might take you up on that if I have to, actually."

They slowly made their way back to Cid's house, their eyes momentarily looking upward at a large oil rig sitting near the WRO building. Shera manned this thing, Cloud remembered the two talking about it. The three took a turn onto Cid's street, the scent of grass and trees comforting. Edge would be cold and a little gloomy right now, though the crisp air that blew from the north had a beautiful scent from the sea.

Cloud sniffed again, and his mouth watered. Someone was cooking meat nearby, and it was making him hungry. "Do you smell that?"

Tifa snorted, then grinned. "Of course I do."

It was growing stronger as they came closer to Cid's house. "Maybe he's having a cook out," Reeve mumbled.

"Maybe."

The house was empty, and Cloud heard people conversing towards the back of the house. The three traveled towards the back door, the greasy scent of ground beef getting stronger...and the smell of whiskey. And Corel Wine. He frowned, it smelled exactly like Tifa's recipe, too.

As Cloud opened the back door he looked about the backyard with mild confusion. They couldn't have been gone that long, two hours at most from their site searching. But there were silly little blue and red decorations hanging from the wooden fence and even the Tiny Bronco.

There was a wooden picnic table covered with bottles of booze and some simple sides, and a small cake. Cid was cursing at his grill, or maybe at whatever was cooking upon it. Everybody else was gathered about, talking.

"What's going on?" Tifa asked as she came from behind Cloud with Reeve.

Cid turned around. "Huh? Oh. Well, you two were supposed to have some fancy party today, right?"

Tifa walked closer to Cid and his grill. "I wouldn't exactly call what we had in mind fancy."

He waved his hand dismissively. "These days it woulda been. We're all here, so let's have that party you two wanted." He turned back towards his grill, damning it again as he used the spatula.

Yuffie bounced over to Cloud and Tifa. "Was totally my idea, you two! Whaddya think?"

"The hell it was just your idea! I pulled the liquor for it!" Barret boomed.

Tifa put her hands on her hips. "You took from the bar's liquor stores?"

Barret waved his hands, his cheeks blushing as Tifa's eyes narrowed. "Hey, it's better here than in Edge!"

"He's right, Teef." Cloud crossed his arms. "It'd just gather dust over there."

Tifa sighed, then nodded. "I guess so. Yeah."

"Yeh, so let's have some fun while the goin's good!" Barret grabbed Cloud's shoulder and dragged him to the table. Vincent was next to it, glancing at the two before looking away; he looked slightly uncomfortable. Cloud figured both Cid and Barret forced him to drink in his absence. Or tried.

Now it was his turn, no matter that he didn't want to get plastered. He wanted to think about the area he would scout out tomorrow, the mob boss and what he was going to do to him, the knowledge of the Cetra on lycanthropy...

A glass of ice and whiskey appeared in front of him. Cloud looked down at it, then at Barret. "Not right now, Barret. I gotta lot of things on my mind."

"We all got shit on our minds. Best to forget about it for a little bit, especially right now!"

"I don't know..."

"Get that stick out of your ass, Cloud. You can put it back in tomorrow," Cid drawled out nearby.

Cloud scowled, then took the glass. If it would get them off his back. He figured he could nurse the drink over how ever long the party would be. Yeah. He took a small sip of the potent liquor and scrunched his nose. It was one of the more potent whiskeys, and every time that first sip would hit his senses hard.

He looked around the backyard, observing everyone and taking a sip here and there of the drink forced upon him. Denzel and Zeph were crouching under one of the wings of the Tiny Bronco, talking into the phone speaker; he had given Denzel his phone before leaving and told him when would be a good time to call up. Cloud couldn't make out what was being said over the din of everyone else's voices, but he made out that it was Rosa and Natsumi's voices coming from the speaker.

Hirdthag was speaking to Shelke about going back to Junon to help him. Cloud sighed into his glass before sipping again. He honestly didn't understand his father. What had he been planning to do after he bit him? Had he expected him to return and join him? Cloud remembered how he was slowly feeling different in the forest almost all alone as he waited for Hirdthag to make an appearance. Even with Cait Sith to keep him company he had started to feel more feral. Maybe his father hadn't been thinking ahead that night. Or maybe he had been lonely?

Cloud wasn't really sure. But it seemed that having the company of humans for the last few months had maybe snapped him out of that more animalistic, depraved mindset that stuck to him all these years. Hirdthag's eyes were a lot more like that old picture on the nightstand in his mother's house now, and a lot less like the monster he met at a campfire, sneering at his confusion. Cloud looked down at Shelke, she was smiling and nodding at his father. He turned his head to look elsewhere.

Cid was drinking a bottle of beer and flipping burger patties with the other hand. Tifa was talking to Shera, who politely declined when asked if she wanted some Corel Wine, something she always loved to drink when visiting Seventh Heaven. Tifa raised a brow, then looked back at Cloud. He nodded at her before sipping from his glass again.

Vincent was savoring a glass of wine, still sober. Cloud mused he had probably gotten here before Cid and Barret had a chance to hound him into heavy drinking with them, not that he would have done it. Reeve stood patiently next to him and Yuffie chattered to them incessantly, but there was a faint smile on Vincent's lips. Cloud figured he was feeling a bit like he was feeling right now.

It felt really good to have a family like this.

Barret was holding Marlene on his shoulders, the little girl giggling as he jogged about the yard with her. Eventually he let her down and she went to play under Vincent's cloak, and Barret went to the table to get himself a bottle of wine. Cloud sipped from his glass some more, the liquid making his stomach glow.

Nanaki was talking to Reggs by the fence, the teen still acting like the outsider to a pack that hadn't quite let him in yet. That was silly, Cloud thought before refreshing his drink. He frowned at the glass; did he really go through the entire glass already? He walked over after another good sip of his whiskey.

"Hey."

Reggs looked up from his seat on the grass, looking as he had for the last two days. "Hi, Cloud."

"Welcome back," Nanaki greeted.

Cloud smiled and nodded at the beast, then turned to Reggs again. "How're you feeling?" he asked before sitting down in front of him with his glass on his knee.

The teen shrugged. "A little better." He looked at Nanaki. "He told me you're the guy that killed the werewolf that sent the city into a panic."

"Yeah."

Reggs' eyes looked about the other party goers. He had seen them and stood there during their discussion earlier in the day, but how could a bartender and a delivery boy know them?

He looked at Cloud, and the warrior glanced his way with his brows raised. "I don't think I ever asked who you were."

Cloud looked at him blankly, and took a gulp of whiskey. "I'm Cloud."

Reggs frowned at him. "You know what I mean. All of these people you're friends with..."

"Does it really matter?"

Reggs bit his lip and fidgeted in his spot before glancing at Nanaki, then Cloud again. "I mean, I barely know you at all..." he said slowly. "You know me better than I know you."

"Uh, yeah, that's true." The spiky haired man tapped his knee. How much to tell him? His lips felt a little looser from the whiskey in his empty stomach. "I was a delivery boy before all of this crap happened."

Nanaki snorted. "A courier with a giant sword."

Reggs nodded. "I knew that. That old man from the inn we used when you took me out to hunt said he remembered you from your delivery runs." He scratched his cheek. "But how do you...know everyone here?"

"...Do you really wanna know?" Cloud asked quietly.

"I do."

Cloud took a long gulp of whiskey. He really didn't like talking about this. It had been like pulling teeth for Zeph as he grew more curious after Christmas, but here he was again, talking about things that shouldn't matter. "Did they say anything about what happened during the Jenova War?"

Reggs shrugged. "A little bit. There wasn't a lot of information on what exactly happened until this school year."

Cloud knew that. It was mostly just rumors in the beginning, but most people were too busy moving on with their lives to think too deeply on it. The Planet stopped Meteor, and that was that. "Okay. So what did they say?"

"That Shinra and and a small group opposing them tried to stop Sephiroth from destroying the Planet. The book didn't really go into a lot of detail, but it did say he was controlling that Jenova thing and that he summoned Meteor." He looked up for a few moments, thinking. "Someone sacrificed themselves so that the Planet could stop it, too."

Reggs looked back down. "It's kinda crazy, everything written. A lot of us think it's just a cover up or something the WRO cooked up." It certainly seemed that way to him. A small group of unnamed people went against Shinra and a madman. Shinra used to be the world government, and he assumed Reeve was part of a coup; maybe that small group had something to do with it.

Cloud chuckled. "It was pretty crazy. I was the leader of that small group, so you could only imagine the kinda pressure I was under."

The teen gawked at him. He wanted to argue, but how else would Cloud know all these people? A president, Wutaian royalty, a world class pilot and a cat-dog creature that could talk. Alann said he was part of the evacuation during the Deepground Incident, too. "What?" He looked at everyone again. "You were the ones mentioned in the book?"

Nanaki nodded. "Yes. We aren't very active anymore, I'm afraid."

Reggs shifted his eyes from side to side. "So, what happened?"

The warrior couldn't help but grin at the blank look on Reggs' face. "We faced Sephiroth after the Sister Ray blew away the shield he erected, and Diamond Weapon to boot. Then when he showed up over Midgar three years ago, I faced him again." He blew out a sigh." I really hope he stays dead from now on."

"Wait, you're the one the book said...It said the group that fought in the Jenova War teamed up with the Shinra to stop those creepy guys that were hanging around Edge. Then Sephiroth came back, and he had to fight an unnamed person when all that black stuff came down from the sky. After the fight that pool in the church appeared..." He felt overwhelmed. He was in the presence of an unnamed hero from a history book.

Cloud nodded, then sipped his drink. "I'm not gonna get into the details." Details were full of blood, sadness and regrets. "But why else would a lowly delivery boy be a close friend of Reeve Tuesti?"

Reggs tilted his head slightly. "If you were known for everything you've done, you could have lived in Edge, still."

Cloud shook his head. "Then I'd have to deal with anyone not on board with the idea of having me around. I never wanted to be a celebrity anyway, and Tifa didn't want that either."

The teen looked down, still feeling guilty for his part in everything. He really didn't understand their generosity towards him at all.

"Why don't you enjoy the party some? It has to be better than keeping to yourself," Nanaki said, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah. It's not like they're gonna bite." Cloud sipped some more whiskey, then snorted. "I mean, I guess a few of us do..."

"Speak for yourself, Cloud," Nanaki remarked with a grin.

He stood up. "Like I wasn't..." He extended his hand towards Reggs. "You're a teenager, act like it a little."

Reggs took his hand and stood up. "I'll try."

Cloud nodded, then moseyed off again towards Barret. He was sitting at the table, leaning an arm on it while drinking from his bottle. He glanced at Cloud, then motioned for him to sit next to him. "You lookin' a little looser, Spiky."

The blond sat down and shrugged. "I think you gave me the strongest stuff you could find."

Barret chuckled. "Yeh. You need it. What'd I say about forgettin' troubles for a bit? You felt better after that night you had Corel Wine for the first time, right?"

Cloud nodded. "I didn't drink to the point of a hangover, though."

"Well, just don't drink to the point you can't stand up!" Barret began fiddling with something behind him as Cloud looked at his boots. He felt a tiny weight on his glass, then glanced over to see it being topped off. "We got all day!"

"I haven't eaten since breakfast!" He was feeling rather funny.

"Yeh, you ate like a bird, too." Barret waved at Cid. "Hey, when you gonna be done?!"

"When they're done! If your ass is hungry right now go snack on some of the shit we picked up!" Cid responded before turning back to talk to Shera.

Barret grumbled as he grabbed at a large bag of chips on the table. "He gonna burn them at this rate..." He pulled open the bag and offered some to Cloud.

He took a handful after putting his drink down and ate them mindlessly. It wasn't meat but it would soak up some of the alcohol in his stomach at least. He hoped. "So whose idea was this?"

"We all kinda thought it was a good idea. What, you don't like it?"

Cloud coughed as a chip became stuck in his throat, then against his better judgement took a big gulp of his drink to get the piece dislodged. "I like it," he rasped before wiping booze from the sides of his mouth with his forearm. He absolutely loved it. "I was just surprised when I came into the backyard, that's all."

"A lotta shit about to go down, and we're all here...We were gonna celebrate today anyway. Not like we had anything better to do!"

"Coulda prepared some more."

Barret scoffed. "Ain't no point in that right now." He put his arm around Cloud, tugged him close, then took a giant gulp of wine. "Now, bein' a husband is different, Spike. I aughta know. You might be livin' together for years, but you just crossed that little invisible line that made things different. It's cause that's more committment than just...you know."

Cloud drank some more, then nodded. "I know what I wanted. I hoped that that was what she wanted..." And she did, to his pleasant surprise.

"Yeh, 'cause you can be a jackass sometimes, and she gotta deal with that."

Cloud glared up at him. "Takes one to know one."

"You're definitely both jackasses."

They turned to look at Yuffie, who was standing in front of them with an impatient look on her face. "Can ya get outta the way? I want a snack while we wait for Cid's crispy burgers."

"Fuck, I'm gonna make sure you get one that's extra dry!" Cid said by the grill.

She turned her head and scowled at him. "They're already gonna be dry, you cooked them too long!"

Cloud raised a brow. "When'd you become a chef?"

Yuffie looked back at him and shook her fists. "You don't have to be a chef to know those things are gonna be drier than sun baked sand!"

"They'll be fine!" Barret lazily assured her before knocking back the rest of his bottle and starting on another one. Cloud nodded and sipped from his glass, a smirk forming on his face as his cheeks glowed.

She pointed at Cloud. "Just wait until you're eatin' charcoal, Furball!"

He glanced back at the table. There wasn't a scrap of meat, except for some cooked bacon next to a plate filled with tomato slices. He plucked a piece of bacon off of the plate, then nibbled on it with a smug expression on his face. "I'll be fine."

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Omigawd, you're gonna be a trip later." She snatched the bag of chips from Barret before turning around and leaving with a huff.

Barret pulled away from Cloud and gave him a slap on the back, making him lose a little bit of whiskey on his jeans and grey shirt. "I'm gonna chat up your old man a bit."

"You aren't gonna get him drunk too, are ya?" He looked his way, Tifa was talking to him. That was kind of new.

Barret chuckled as he stood up and turned to face the table. "I'm gonna see if he's where you get your low tolerance from."

"Pfft."

Cloud watched quietly, refilling his glass and then looking over in time to see Denzel and Zeph approach him. Denzel had his phone in his hand, raising it up to give it back to the tipsy warrior. "Thanks for letting us borrow your phone, Cloud."

"Rosa told us you're the talk of the town," Zeph said.

He took the phone and pocketed it. "It's nothing..." Cloud sighed heavily before looking at Zeph. "Yeah, I guess I would be after all those rumors started..." He looked away.

"I just wish this was some bad dream I was having," Denzel groused.

Cloud put his drink down on the table and put a hand on each of their shoulders. Cloud blinked a few times, trying to collect his thoughts and feelings. "Life is pretty unfair, isn't it? But you guys keep truckin' along. I'm proud of you both."

He sucked in a breath before continuing on. "I know what happened in Edge was horrible, and I kinda blame myself a little for it, but Tifa'n I'll make sure you guys are happy. And, um, you know...We'll just take this one day at a time, alright?"

Zeph blinked at him as he started rambling. Denzel just nodded. He was still upset about having to move, but Cloud had those sad, drunk eyes looking right into his own. Cloud straightened his back and rubbed the back of his head. "I know how hard it is to start over. But none of us are alone this time."

Denzel's eyes lit up when he remembered why Cloud and Tifa left the house earlier. "Did you find a place for us to live yet?"

Cloud gave a slightly exaggerated nod. "Teef and me're gonna look at it tomorrow. It's got a river, and a lake, and a forest, and hills..." He was pointing at the fingers of one hand. "So if we choose that place you guys'll have a lot of places to explore."

Denzel shifted his weight on his feet. "Are there any people?" He was used to the bustle of the city.

"Um, there's a village ten miles away. Hey, I'll take you out to visit Rocket Town if we settle there! You know that." Cloud frowned at the look he was being given.

"Cloud can't help it if other people are wary of him, Denzel," Tifa interrupted. She was holding a plate with burger patties on it.

"I know."

"Well, go ahead and make your burgers." Tifa glanced at Cloud, noticing his slight sway as he looked up at her. "...I'll make yours, Cloud."

A few minutes later he had his burger, Tifa guiding him to a lounge chair in the shade of the house. It wasn't as dry as he thought it was going to be; maybe it was the cheese, or maybe Cid was right. The bread soaked up the alcohol in his stomach far better that the chips did earlier, and he opted for a water bottle before he ended up completely wasted. There was plenty of time later to drink with the others some more and it was only about five right now if his phone was right.

He wanted to sober up a little.

Tifa had her chair up close to his, and she looked over with a wry smile on her face. "So that's what you were keeping secret for Shera," she said after eating a chip from her plate.

He turned his head and took a sip of water. "Guess you'll have to age some Corel Wine for her so she can enjoy it after her delivery."

Her smile widened. "Yeah." She looked towards the yard, watching everyone eat. They weren't too far from everyone, but it seemed like the others wanted to give them some quiet time together. "I talked to Hirdthag a bit."

"About what?"

Tifa shrugged. "This and that. You both have the most expressive eyes when you feel guilt." She looked back at Cloud, and found him staring at her as he munched on his burger. "He could barely look at me."

"You were talking about stuff from the past, weren't you?" he asked between bites of food.

"A little. I think...I was facing down that fear I had for so long. Ever since I saw him dart out of the brush, and now when I get to talk to him by myself, he's just like you. He doesn't know what to say." Tifa sipped on her soda and stared out into the yard.

"I still don't know quite what to say, either. I can bring up the past, but there's no resolution. It's...just like us. What can we say to the survivors of the Sector Seven Plate Collapse? That we're sorry?" Tifa watched Denzel in particular; he was sitting next to Vincent and talking to him as he ate. "So I told him that maybe I'll forgive him in the future, but for right now we should all move on from the past and look towards what we can change in the here and now."

"So, what we've been doing to ourselves the last five years?"

She nodded. "It works, for the most part. Don't you think?"

"Yeah."

They ate their lunch in silence afterwards, watching as the children started playing with a large blow-up ball Cid had found in his shed after eating his burger. Their first victim was Reggs, the teen getting whacked in the back of the head with the large, soft ball. He tossed it back but Yuffie caught it, then she assaulted Barret's forehead at close range.

It started a little battle that Cloud and Tifa were eventually dragged into, and then became a game of Keep Away. The adults let the children win after a few passes each, and a few of the more spry among the party pretended to have a tough time catching the ball.

After a while Cloud and Tifa retreated to a corner of the yard, sitting and leaning on the fence while watching the children start another game with the ball. Yuffie and Reggs was with them, and one of them was explaining the rules of the new game.

Cloud slowly wrapped his arm around Tifa's shoulders, then brought his other hand over hers. It was resting on her baby bump. The scent hadn't lost its ability to trigger his protective instincts at all, but he knew that to protect them both he was going to have to leave just long enough to end a threat once and for all. Tifa looked towards him and flashed a tired smile.

He returned it before looking at her belly again. "I...You know, back home people liked to give their spouses nicknames _._ "

Tifa nodded. "My father used to call my mom Music-Weaver _._ " She hummed, then said the word in Nibelese. "Hljodsongr. I forget what Mom used to call him. It was so long ago. But he never stopped using that name."

Cloud chuckled. "My father said he used to call my mom _Sunshine._ " He squeezed Tifa's hand gently. "I think that suited her." His eyes looked up at Tifa.

She raised a brow, knowing where he was going with the conversation. "What do you think suits me?"

"Bjargi," he said simply.

"...A rock?" She raised a brow.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. You've always been the rock I've kept my feet on. I'd be lost without that support." He pinched the fabric of his pants with his other hand. "Fylbjargi."

She chuckled. "Support rock _._ " Tifa liked that. "And you...Gaetavargr."

"Guardian Wolf?" Cloud snorted.

Tifa nodded, then laughed a little. It was subdued but genuine, something Cloud remembered from happier evenings at camp during their adventure. "You're always trying to keep us safe. I would use Cloudy Wolf, but I think it makes more sense in Standard." She grinned playfully at him.

"Skyrvargr?" He shrugged. His name was a word in Standard, an occurance that happened in some backwater places because the name sounded right. "I guess you're right." He leaned his head towards her and sighed.

"Mm."

They watched the party go on as they sat together in silence, enjoying the time alone they were having before they would inevitably go back into the fray and party with the others. The sun was nearly set and Cid had lights to illuminate the yard. It was almost carefree to the two, and they appreciated that feeling.

Cloud kissed Tifa's forehead, savoring the scent of her hair as he did so. He had to protect her, protect his family. Not just the family he built in Edge, but these people gathered here today. For them. He knew he could fix things.

But for this evening, he would enjoy the feeling of family.


	55. Naivety Lost

**A/N: Much thanks to kelleyj17 for her help, and jui-jitsu dude for some advice about the end of the chapter!**

* * *

Cloud had been playing with the children, letting them take turns on his back as he ran around the lawn. He ended up holding Denzel on his shoulders while racing Nanaki as Yuffie held onto the beast's back. Naturally Nanaki won the race, but Cloud asked for a rematch some day where they could see who was really the fastest.

Afterward, Cid and Barret took him back to the table and demanded he drink with them again. Again he weakly protested, and again they told him it's a party, so drink up. He was soon sipping his third glass of whatever it was Cid had poured for him, the amber liquid burning his throat every time he let it trickle down. It was much more potent than whatever Barret had given him that afternoon, because he definitely felt toasted.

He had been looking behind him for something to gnaw on, and his eyes locked onto the wedding cake. He turned around. "Hey...Hey." Cloud was poking Barret's arm to get his attention as he held his fourth drink. "We still gotta cut the cake, don't we?"

Barret looked down at Cloud, then at the cake. His head swiveled to gaze at Tifa, and he put his free hand to the side of his mouth. "Hey, Tifa!"

Tifa glanced at the three with a raised brow; she had been talking to Reeve about something Cloud couldn't make out over the din of everyone else talking. "What is it?"

Barret jabbed a finger into Cloud's chest as he continued to look in Tifa's direction. "Yo hubby wants some cake!"

"I didn't say I wanted cake! Cake's gross."

"Y'said you two gotta cut the cake, didn't ya?!" Barret asked as he turned his head to look at his friend with a devilish grin.

Cid rolled his eyes. "Shit, your kids gotta go to bed soon, and now you're talkin' about eatin' cake!"

Cloud pointed his finger at him and wavered a bit. "Fuck you, I said we gotta cut the cake, not eat it," he casually explained with a slur.

Cid and Barret just laughed and slapped the drunk werewolf on the back. "I hope y'don't use that kinda language around the kids!" Barret chided.

Cloud blushed and looked down into his glass. "You say worse," he mumbled. His eyes glanced upward as he heard footsteps on the soft grass come closer.

Tifa was walking towards him; she stopped in front of the three and looked at the cake. It was just big enough for the party, with white icing and "Cloud and Tifa" written in blue. She motioned at Cloud to come over, and after a few moments of confused staring she grabbed his free hand and tugged him towards her. "We have to cut it together, you know," she playfully explained.

"Oh." He put his hand over hers as it held the knife. He took another sip of his drink and steadied his gait.

They both turned their heads at the sound of someone clearing their throat. Reeve was walking up to them, hands clasped behind his back. "Since this is a wedding party, perhaps I could officiate the union?"

"Officiikate?" Cloud asked.

Reeve suppressed a smirk. "Yes. You know, a little speech and then you're man and wife."

Tifa nodded before carefully putting the knife down and holding both of Cloud's hands in her own after he placed his drink on the table. "We'd love it if you did, Reeve."

The president of the WRO smiled and clapped his hands in front of his chest. He moved behind the couple and spread out his arms while looking at the small gathering of friends who quieted down to watch.

While they both were as wed as could be in this broken world, their private moment had been something that the both of them knew would want to be shared in some form or another. It was ironic to Cloud that he was yet again drunk at an important part of his life. Tifa as well, but she didn't mind. Cloud's heart was as open as it got when he was like this. The only thing stronger was when they both fell into the Lifestream.

The two looked at the crowd of familiar faces smiling back at them. Hirdthag was keeping to the edge of the crowd, looking as if he wasn't sure if he belonged in this moment or not. Reggs looked the same, but for very different reasons; Nanaki sat near him like an anchor. Shelke had a subdued smile as she looked up at the couple that let her live with them for a few months, until she decided to work in Junon.

Cid had magically appeared next to Shera, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as she did the same around his waist. Barret had left the table to pick up Marlene in his arm so she could get a good view. Denzel and Zeph were in front of the group with Vincent and Yuffie behind them, the ninja fidgeting with her phone with a gleeful expression on her face.

"We are gathered here this evening to see two dear friends come together as husband and wife—"

Cloud interrupted, "we're already spouses."

"Cloud, shhh!" Tifa ordered.

Without missing a beat, Reeve continued on. "—And exchange vows. We've all waited a long time for this moment, Cloud and Tifa." He brought his hands together and looked down at Tifa. "Not that you haven't done so many times before, but do you promise to take care of Cloud, through sickness and health, for richer and poorer, through good times and bad?"

She turned to look at Cloud, his cheeks burning red and one blue eye half open. Even completely smashed, he looked like he was taking this quite seriously. His hands were still holding hers firmly and his thumbs were rubbing her palms. A smile crept onto her face before she looked back at Reeve and nodded. "I do!"

Reeve nodded, then turned his attention to Cloud, who was still looking at Tifa. "And do you Cloud—" The warrior's head spun towards Reeve as he said his name, "—promise to take care of Tifa, through sickness and health, for richer and poorer, through good times and bad?"

Cloud's eyes, then his head went to look at Tifa. She was still smiling at him, her warm ruby eyes glimmering in the glow of the party lights. He was feeling a little emotional right now, but he choked it down after a quick glance at the group staring at them. He turned to look at Reeve, then gave a firm nod of his head. "I do."

"Then, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride!"

The spiky haired warrior cocked his head a little bit and frowned. They were already spouses, so Tifa wasn't a bride anymore. Or at least it didn't make sense in his head right now. He wondered if he was just thinking too hard on everything, because he was sure they already did the deed on the roof of the bar.

He was still looking at Reeve when he felt a warm, soft feeling glide onto his cheek. Cloud turned back as Tifa lifted herself from smooching him, and her lips twisted into a smile. "I think I'm supposed to do that," he explained.

"No one's stoppin' you, Spiky!" Barret hollered.

That was true, no one was stopping him. He leaned in with exaggerated effort and kissed Tifa on the lips, his face red from the audience that was now clapping after he finished the deed. And Yuffie's photo flash. Reeve handed the cake knife to Tifa before walking to the side, and she helped Cloud put his other hand over hers.

She slowly guided the knife into the cake, cutting off a slice. Tifa put it on a plate, then cut into it again. She picked up a piece and carefully put it in Cloud's hand. "It's customary to feed each other a piece of cake," she explained with a smirk.

His brows scrunched together as he studied the cake he was probably holding much too firmly. It smelled good despite the scent no longer being appetizing, and blue icing smeared his thumb. Cloud's eyes tilted back up towards Tifa's, and he noticed she was holding the other piece up like an offering to him.

His mate was offering him token food, that was how his brain interpreted it.

Cloud brought the cake he held towards her mouth, and she opened for him. He did the same, and they almost very neatly placed their slices into each other's mouths, but Cloud had clumsily painted Tifa's cheek white. There were a few giggles and loud guffawing. And another flash.

She rubbed the icing off as she chewed the cake. "Cloud!"

"Sorry," he said as he ate his slice, wincing at the sweetness. He took a gulp of whatever it was he had been drinking and washed it away with bitter alcohol. "Fer better or for worse."

Tifa smiled, then started laughing as he stood there, wavering on his feet. He blinked slowly at her. "What's so funny?" he asked with a bemused tone.

She wiped a tear from her eye. "It's nothing, Cloud. Maybe you should sit down again—"

"Reeve!" The two turned to see the President of the WRO being dragged by the arm by Barret. Cid jammed a glass of brown liquid into Reeve's hand.

"Drink up, man," Cid said.

Reeve let out a subdued chuckle and put up his other hand with a smile. "No, thank you. I need my wits about me."

"It's high time you stop actin' like the stuffy president of the WRO, and time to start actin' like a member of AVALANCHE!" Barret said as he poked a finger into Reeve's shoulder.

"Yeah!" Cloud gave an exaggerated nod, then sipped from his glass. He brought a foot to rest behind him too late, and began to stumble backwards; Nanaki passed by too near to his friend, and Cloud tripped over the beast. Whiskey doused Nanaki's face as the half full glass twirled in the air and fell unceremoniously to the grass. They both groaned.

"I think you might be heavier than Yuffie, I'm afraid," Nanaki chided as he began to inch himself from under his friend. He licked at his nose and grimaced at the taste of whiskey.

"Uh."

"Spike, I swear to Da Chao you were made to be a pain in the ass," Yuffie's voice drawled out from above. Cloud felt hands holding his as he stared at the night sky, then he felt yanking. "Gawd you're like a sack of potatoes!"

"Nuh-uh. You're like...like..." Cloud thought a moment as the ninja continued to tug his arms, making his back arch. "Like one of those...those big turtles!"

Yuffie dropped his hands and stomped her foot. "An Adamantoise?!" She turned about as Barret and Cid laughed loudly in her direction, and she scowled down at Cloud, who was slowly giggling as Nanaki came free from his legs.

"Yeah! One of those things!" Cloud rocked on his back helplessly.

"You look like one stuck on its back, Furball! You can stay like that for all I care!" She stomped off towards Barret, Cid and Reeve, beginning a rant at the former two. At one point they made fun of her narrowed eyes, and Cid said she looked like someone had farted. She retorted if anyone farted it was probably him.

Cloud stayed on the grass, spread eagled, for how long he didn't know. Sometimes Denzel or Zeph would check on him, or Marlene. He turned his head at one point to see the other men sans Vincent and Reggs drinking together and bantering. Hirdthag pointed at Cloud when he noticed his son watching them. "Son, are you just gonna lay there all night like a lump on a log?!"

"Shut up, Dad! I like the grass!" He turned his head to the sky again and closed his eyes. There were swirls in the darkness of his eyelids, and he just felt good. The grass was nice, the air was nice, everything was nice. He somehow got married again and everyone was there to see it, which made him blush.

"Vincent, could you help me pick him up?"

Cloud's eyes were still closed. He felt a hand and a metal claw grab his forearms, then felt his torso rise. There was a deep grunt issued from in front of him. "Cloud. Use your legs."

He automatically did so, and felt more hands on him. Whoever was helping him, he thought he had to thank them, so he reached out and stumbled into a hug. It kind of smelled like Vincent. He gave the taller man a good pat on the back. "Thanks man, you're awesome," he mumbled into Vincent's chest.

He felt Vincent stiffen, and a stifled giggle next to him. "I, ah...thank you."

"Let's get you inside, Cloud."

The world behind his eyelids was very gently spinning. Cloud felt himself moving, then felt the atmosphere change; he figured he was probably in the house, or maybe the shed. He started chuckling. He heard a low sigh from whoever was guiding him.

"They're working on Yuffie right now," Vincent said into Cloud's ear.

"Pffft. She can't hold her liquor, everyone knows that."

"Neither can you, Cloud."

"Nuh-uh. I bet I got...a lot in me."

He heard Vincent quietly chuckle and Tifa lilt a short giggle. After a few more moments of stumbling, he found himself lying down again. Footsteps walked off, and a warm mass laid next to him.

"Oh, Cloud." It was Tifa.

He turned his head and opened his eyes half way to look at her. He touched her face gently with a finger, trailing it down her cheek. "Fylbjargi," he whispered.

She smiled and chuckled at the pet name he had given her hours ago. "I'm glad you remembered." Tifa kissed him on the lips, pressing into the soft pink skin. She was rewarded a moment later with a slow lick to the tip of her nose, and she winced at the sensation and the bitter scent of alcohol. "Cloud!" Tifa rubbed her nose.

"Aren't I supposed to do that?"

She rolled her eyes. "You aren't a puppy."

"No...I'm a wolf, though." He blinked.

"Not right now you aren't."

Cloud thought hard, squeezing his eyes closed a moment, then stared her dead in the eye. "Do you want me to?"

Tifa groaned. "No, Cloud. Just stay like this."

"But I can keep you warm and I-I think I'm kinda fuzzy like that."

"I'm already warm, Cloud." She hoped against hope he would not ruin his clothing in a bid to act like a living blanket. She really wasn't sure how he would act drunk and while like that.

"Mm." He held her close and nuzzled the crook of her neck. "I love you. You're the best. I don't deserve this. I think I'm selfish—"

"You're drunk, Cloud." Tifa tried to peel away from him so she could get the kids ready for bed, but Cloud's arm was holding her firmly. "I'll be right back!"

He held her closer. "No, just...I love you. Please don't leave."

She sighed, then smiled despite herself. He was drunk _and_ feeling insecure. "Hey. You got a big day ahead of you, don't you?" Tifa wiggled her arm free from his embrace and rubbed his cheek. "I just need to get the kids in bed. I'll be right back, you know that."

"I know that." He bumped his forehead onto hers. "I don't want you to leave."

Tifa started rubbing the side of his head, and he relaxed into his pillow with a loud hum. "Behind my ear," he mumbled partially into his pillow. She did as he asked and she felt him shudder. She tried not to laugh; it was still a funny quirk of his lycanthropy, his love for head scratches. Tifa stopped when his arms went limp and she heard him begin to snore, then kissed his cheek before getting up.

"Goodnight, Cloud."

* * *

"We're almost there, buddy."

Denzel tightly held onto Cloud as he zoomed down the road that would take them to the site that might possibly be where they ended up living. Behind them was Barret's truck, holding the rest of the family, Reeve, and Barret himself. They had passed a village earlier, getting the attention of curious onlookers who had no idea who could possibly be trying to find a new home nearby.

Denzel was still upset about the whole situation. He was being torn from his home because no one seemed to understand that Cloud was a damned hero that should have been shown recognition instead of scorn. Still, he had to admit the countryside was a soothing scene to gaze upon. When Natsumi visited him, he realized it might be her first time seeing anything like this. If Cloud was right after all the drunken rambling he did last night, Denzel would have plenty to show her. The thought lightened his mood a little bit.

Cloud was watching the sides of the road as Denzel contemplated on his back. He was still a little wired from all the coffee he had that morning; the party went on a little longer than was probably necessary, but he had needed it. That and the Remedy he had before breakfast. Shera thought of everything, and he was grateful she did.

He began to slow down as they reached the area that they might call home soon. They crested a hill, and were greeted to a general view of the area, facing eastward. Far in the distance loomed higher foothills than the ones that were in the settlement territory, covered in groves and grass and a few proper woods.

There was a wide hill surrounded by forest in a crescent shape, a river flowing three hundred yards from its base. Cloud figured that must be the site. It looked promising enough to him, and he wondered if Tifa felt the same way as the truck followed. It was certainly idyllic, with vast blue skies above them and hues of jade and emerald in front of their vision.

After a little more driving they reached the top of the wide hill, and Cloud shut off Fenrir and helped Denzel off. The two walked towards the truck as everyone hopped out and stretched. He put his hands in the pockets of his black jacket, his white T-shirt fluttering from a breeze.

"There's a lot of land to develop," Cloud started as he looked towards the river. He remembered Reeve said there was a lake in the area, and he thought it might have been hidden by the hill they now stood on. He closed his eyes and sniffed the air. He could smell prey animals and a few monsters.

Reeve nodded and looked about before pulling some paper out from his dark jacket. Cloud peeked his eyes open. He wondered if he would ever get used to seeing Reeve wear something besides a suit; his clothing was relaxed but he still gave out the aura of a powerful person. Straight, dark pants, a fashionable dark blue shirt, and a jacket. "The data suggests there's some limited farmland to the north, so you'll probably be dependent on imports for staples."

Tifa hummed. "We have to find things to export, so we have an income after we set up shop. I could make Corel Wine in large batches, but that's only one source of income."

Cloud put his hands on his hips and thought. "There's a lake..." He looked at Reeve. "Are chocobos still in demand?"

Reeve nodded. "While they're slowly being replaced as beasts of burden, they'll always be desired for races."

"And meat and eggs," Tifa continued. They were rarer than chicken products, but still desired. Especially the eggs of rare chocobo breeds.

"And certain breeds for transport..." Cloud looked at Tifa and gave a cocky smirk. "Think I can still raise a chocobo?"

She smiled and laughed. "You were a natural at that."

"So, wine and chocobos for now. That's a good start, I think." Cloud thought about perhaps doing some monster exterminations as they waited for money to flow into the town. Villages almost always had a bounty on a rabble-rousing monster.

They explored the area, looking about the hill and some of the surrounding area. Barret watched as the children explored the stony shore of the river, and Cloud took some time to look through the forest that cradled the hill. He held Tifa's hand as he did so, and looked back at her with a questioning gaze. "What do you think?"

She stopped walking and leaned against a tree. She listened to the birds chirping above their heads. "It seems peaceful. Just...being so far away from people after all these years, it's going to take some getting used to."

Cloud pursed his lips as he came to stand in front of her. "I'm sorry," he said as his eyes looked downward.

"It's not your fault."

He let out a sigh and looked down and to the side. "I know..." Not that he believed it.

Tifa took his hand and pulled him close. The scent of his skin was comforting. "We'll get through it together, you know that. And you aren't the trouble at all." No, it was other people.

Cloud was about to sneak a kiss when a sound reached his ears. He put himself between Tifa and the sound, and waited. She peeked out from behind his shoulder, watching.

There was a grunt twenty yards away, then another. Out of the underbrush came an ugly, muscly boar. Cloud relaxed a little, and Tifa chuckled. The boar looked at them, huffed, then went about sniffing the ground again.

"That looks like a Nibel Boar. They make for some good bacon..."

Cloud looked back at her and blinked. "That's the kinda pig they used for bacon in Nibelheim?"

Tifa nodded. "Yeah. Did you get any when you were a kid? I learned how to cure it when I worked at the country store for a season."

Cloud's eyes glimmered, and he looked back at the boar before nodding. "Yeah. It was...really good." His mind was made up. _'Hunt boar, kill boar, give meat to Tifa, Tifa makes bacon.'_

She put her hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his small trance. "We better get back."

"Right." Cloud looked about the woodlands again before walking towards the river. When they finally reached the group the children were trying to skip rocks across the surface of the lazy river. Denzel looked up at him with a curious gaze. "What do you guys think?"

Denzel looked back over the river. "It's nice...It's just kinda lonely."

Cloud nodded with a sigh. "It is, for now." He knew he had to keep the kids' spirits up. "I just need you guys to stay strong while we get this on track. It won't be lonely forever."

Zeph tossed a river stone from hand to hand. "Won't this have to be just for werewolves, though?"

Tifa shook her head. "We'll find some more...understanding people eventually."

"Werewolves are rare enough. Finding any that want to settle down would be rarer still," Reeve mused. "Still, the village will have to grow."

Zeph shifted on his feet; it was an uncomfortable thought. Still, he knew Cloud would keep them safe. Reggs wasn't bad, either. The thought almost made him laugh. He was beginning to feel more comfortable around the likes of Penny and Reggs, and maybe Hirdthag. It was in contrast to how he had been after he had been rescued, and while he still had that fear and loathing towards the creatures, he could put it aside for the few that proved they weren't out to eat him. "You'll make sure they're alright...Right?"

Cloud nodded. "No weirdos."

"You best sniff'em out beforehand, Spiky," Barret said.

"You bet."

Tifa bent down and smiled at Marlene. "What do you think, sweetie?"

The little girl shrugged. "It could use some flowers."

"Well, we'll get some seeds and grow some."

Cloud was still studying the area. The hill looked like it would be easily defendable, there was plenty of water, and there was a forest to hunt in. He thought about visiting the lake, but decided against it. He could look at whatever information Reeve had on it later. He looked towards his dark haired friend. "How long will it take to build this up?"

Reeve stroked his goatee. "A couple of months. It needs to be put on the grid for electricity and sewage, then a building plan has to be set up. We can talk about that when we get back."

"Alright."

They headed back to the vehicles, and Cloud helped Zeph onto the bike for the return trip. He looked back at the boy as he put his goggles on. "You've been taking all of this pretty well."

Zeph shrugged as he held onto Cloud's torso. "There's nothing I can do," he said helplessly.

Cloud looked away. He wasn't sure how to reply back immediately, but after a moment he said the only thing that came to mind. "Just hang in there. Things won't be the same, but they'll get better."

"You said that last night."

Cloud scrunched his brows together. "Did I?"

Zeph looked up at the back of his spiky head with a frown as his guardian turned the ignition. "Yeah...You were laying on the ground and saying stuff when we came by. Remember?"

"Oh. Right." Cloud could barely remember last night. He remembered the makeshift wedding, falling on Nanaki, and some bits and pieces after Vincent had helped him into the bedroom. When he woke up he had his face smashed into Barret's side while suffering from a raging headache.

As they drove off again, Cloud was cautiously optimistic for their future. Vincent and Nanaki would be in the Sleeping Forest by now, the Turks and the WRO were searching for the mob boss he would be taking care of, and Rocket Town would be a safe enough place for his family and Reggs to live in while they waited for their new home to be constructed.

With the Full Moon almost upon them, he would have to find a place outside the town where they could let loose. Yuffie had demanded he take her for a ride after calling her fat as an Adamantoise. He reluctantly agreed to it, even if he thought it was a silly thing to use to get her way. He wondered if Reggs would be ready for a practical stranger in his midst, but he figured if he made any move towards Yuffie he would put him in his place.

He was less worried about his father acting out. Did he really call him Dad last night, he wondered? Cloud didn't like the silence that he was treated to as they both sipped Remedies that morning. Hirdthag wouldn't even make eye contact. He smelled disconsolate, even as he gulped down the rest of the Remedy and nursed a cup of coffee.

Cloud had so many things running through his head. The good, the bad, and the downright mysterious. What would Vincent and Nanaki return with? Since Aerith said that it was never meant to be cured, it meant he was stuck like this permanently. There was no going back to the way things were before; but he figured he should be used to that by now. Was it a curse the Planet placed on humans, or a wild gift that went out of control? What was he supposed to be?

They came upon Rocket Town as the sun's rays came from a westerly direction, golden and much warmer than they would be in Edge. Still, it was dimming ever so much as the hours went by, and Cloud was glad they made it back before it grew too dark. He frowned as they came up to Cid's house.

There was a group of people huddled by the door.

Cloud quickly parked Fenrir outside the picket fence in front of the house and helped Zeph off. He swiftly walked to the gaggle of people harassing Shera for information.

"My friend said the WRO was housin' werewolves in Edge, and he saw 'em leave in a truck like the one you had parked outside!"

Shera was putting her hands up to calm her neighbor. "Jake, will you calm down, please..." She looked about the people surrounding her in a semicircle, her face a nervous wreck.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "Hey!" The group of people turned their heads to look at him. Most recognized him, though a few were complete strangers.

A short man with red hair that stood about as tall as Cloud walked towards him. "Hey, I remember you. You're that delivery boy that came in once in a while!" He gave a suspicious glare with his amber eyes. "There's rumors going around that the WRO is dallying with werewolves, and we're worried they were brought here."

"And why is that?"

An old lady spoke up. "Because we saw the bunch of ya groupin' up here after what happened in Edge!"

Cloud pursed his lips and looked back at his family as they waited anxiously by the fence. Cid said they would listen to him, but he wasn't Cid. He looked back. Would they even listen to him? If he told the truth, they would just recoil from him.

"Why are you treating him like this?" Cloud turned his head to see Denzel stomping past him and standing in front of the group of people. "That's Cloud, and he's the one that beat Sephiroth! He's the reason you're alive!"

The red head looked surprised. "You're that guy? The dude Cid talks about?"

Cloud nodded. "Uh, yeah." He took a tentative step towards Denzel and put his hand on his shoulder. "Hey, buddy...I-I think I can handle it from here."

Denzel glared back and shook his head, then came closer to the group after shaking off Cloud's hand. "You're just as ungrateful and dumb as those people in Edge!"

The older lady tsked and pointed a finger at him. "That's no way to speak to your elders, boy!"

"Denzel!" Tifa was walking up behind him now.

He scowled at the woman. "Why not? I'm calling as I see it!"

The group looked agitated and a little confused. Cloud wasn't really sure what to say. What would they do? They were hounding Shera for answers, and she was clamming up. Shelke was by her side, at least. "Everyone, I—"

"What the fuck is going on?"

Cloud turned around to see Cid walking to the side of his fence, a cigarette between his lips and a consternated frown on his face. He entered the yard and put his hands on his hips. "Well?"

"Uh, Cid..." A tall man with dirty blond hair rubbed the back of his head. "I-I'm sure you heard what happened in Edge yesterday—"

"Yeah, a bunch of numbskulls attacked my friends' house, and they had to flee."

The red head blinked blankly at the old pilot. "They said it was werewolves! They killed a man!"

Cid rolled his eyes. "It was a goddamn thug! You don't like that I'm keepin' my friends here until they can move to their new home, you can fuckin' leave Rocket Town!"

The older lady stomped her foot. "We don't have to accept monsters in this town!"

"Cloud isn't a monster!" Denzel growled as Tifa attempted to ease him away from the agitated group.

"That's fine, I wasn't askin' you to. You'll accept my friends as long as they're here." Cid dismissively shrugged before taking a drag off of his cigarette.

"But...it's almost a Full Moon," the red head pointed out. "They can't stay."

Cloud sighed. "We won't be in town that night, okay? Look, we just want to move on. We aren't gonna hurt anyone."

"I don't like this one bit."

"It's Cloud, though...shouldn't we give him a chance?"

"I don't know."

Cid blew out a long stream of smoke. "I trust 'em with Shera and my life. If there's a goddamn problem, take it up with me. Now get the hell outta here!"

The group mumbled between themselves, but eventually left the yard, giving curious glances and suspicious stares at Cloud. They didn't know who the other werewolves were. As he watched the last disgruntled and confused citizen leave, the warrior wondered if they were still safe in Rocket Town.

* * *

They decided very quickly it had been a very bad idea to enter Edge. It was night, the safest time to enter the city for Penny, but even then she had to sneak into an abandoned corner of an alley to change back and dress before someone saw her. The scent of fear and anxiety flooded the city, and very occasionally a group of armed citizens would pass by the place she and Ithey hid in.

The teens huddled their deerskins closer to their bodies. What were these people looking for? What happened after they left? The two looked about before leaving the alley and heading towards Seventh Heaven. Maybe Cloud and Tifa had some answers.

But it worried Penny that she could not smell Tifa's cooking as they came closer.

Unease welled in her gut. "Ithey, I don't think they're at the bar," she whispered into his ear.

He frowned. "Why not?"

"I can't smell Tifa's food."

Ithey chewed on his lower lip as his eyes scouted the back street in front of them. "Maybe she closed the bar for the day."

They approached the back of Seventh Heaven but paused as they came towards it. There were two peacekeepers at the back of the bar. They glanced at the teens, their shoulders tense. Ithey quickly pointed towards a side street that lead to the front of the bar and the peacekeepers visibly relaxed before giving a nod.

This street held more peacekeepers in front of the bar and a few hecklers. Penny blinked as she looked back and forth at the two sides. There wasn't just fear and anxiety now, there was anger.

"Are you hidin' more of those beasts in there?"

A peacekeeper sighed. "Move along, sir."

Ithey approached the group of citizens and peacekeepers, Penny walking behind him sheepishly. "What's going on?"

The heckler looked at Ithey with a frown. "Have you been under a rock the last couple of days? The WRO has been holdin' super werewolves!"

Penny's mouth parted in surprise. "What!?"

"Uh, we've been outta town for a while, sir. We're visiting," Ithey said, trying to restrain the look of shock on his face.

The man nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see. Yeah, one of them killed a man, and another had been livin' in this bar with the bartender. Some say it was a family of werewolves, but I don't think that." He crossed his arms and shook his head. "Tifa always had a soft spot for the hopeless, but she went too far with that weirdo living with her and her kids."

Both teens' eyes widened. "What happened to them?"

"They left the city, I heard." He shot a sharp look at the peacekeepers. "The WRO must be keeping their project's subjects safe after those vigilantes attacked the other night." The man shuddered as he turned his head to look at them again. "Those people who mobbed the bar were lucky that monster didn't maul them all to death, I'll tell you what."

"Cloud wouldn't do that," Penny said automatically.

The man narrowed his eyes. "You know him?" he said loudly. Some of the other people nearby heard him.

Penny covered her mouth, and Ithey put himself between them. "Yeah, we do. He didn't deserve to get pushed out of his home by a bunch of self-righteous jerks."

"What the hell would you know? He coulda been responsible for some of the disappearances in the city!" said a woman.

Penny shook her head. "He kept the city safe from the ones who ate people!"

"You ran the one guy out of town that was trying to keep you all safe!"

Another heckler pointed at Ithey. "They could be monsters, too!"

Penny held onto Ithey's shoulder. "I think we need to go!"

Ithey turned his head and nodded. He let Penny take the lead as a few shouts came from behind them, some from the mob and some from peacekeepers trying to stop the madness. She could sniff her way out of the city, and guide him in the dark while he watched their backs. If they could lose them in the strange alleys of Edge they could escape, then hopefully find one of Cloud's friends.

The streets smelled faintly of some stench that Penny found irritable to her nose and eyes. She wasn't sure what to do. On the one hand they had to find someone that could tell them where their friends went, but on the other hand they were in some serious trouble and had to leave Edge before they were killed. These people were out for blood.

And Penny just wasn't the fighting type. Sure, she had no problems hunting or slaying monsters with Ithey, but when it came to people she just clammed up. Certainly years ago it would have been different, especially in her first year as a werewolf, but she felt she had successfully put humans into a separate category from prey and monsters. Maybe she was a little too successful, she thought.

Of course that was one of the reasons they were in Edge right now. They were hoping Cloud and Tifa could keep them for a few days; a couple of hunters had taken temporary residence in her forest to hunt. It was a few days before the next Full Moon, too. Since it was now widespread knowledge that werewolves existed, it would have been dangerous to stay. They could have silver bullets, and that would kill her.

She and Ithey would have to leave Edge now as well before someone killed them.

"Get them! They're monsters!"

Penny let out a squeak of a groan. She hated being called a monster. When she thought of monsters she thought of violent creatures picking for a fight, or the people that made up Junon's underworld. Maybe she could look scary sometimes, she could admit that, but she wasn't monster material in her opinion.

The two ducked into a dark alley and hoped they could find their way out of the city. It was dark, but Penny could see for them both. She really wished she could find someone, anyone. Evan lived too close to the bar, and she had no idea where Rosa lived. Edge was like a maze of streets and alleys. The only thing assisting her were the scents of familiar people that were either no longer here or somewhere she couldn't get to.

Something struck her head and she winced; Ithey turned his head to look, then pushed her to go faster. "They're gaining on us! Penny, do what you have to do. We can get more clothing later!"

She groaned but gave a quick glance behind her. They were close, but she had enough time to stop and change. She sprinted ahead a few yards, stopped, and quickly changed as she kicked off the slightly oversized boots she was wearing. She felt bad that she had to tear apart the jeans and sweater Tifa had given her, but it could be replaced.

Ithey caught up and hopped onto her, and she charged away from the shouts and fearful screams as tattered threads fell from her fur. Penny wasn't quite sure which way to go, but she let her intuition take her which ever way it decided. It seemed like a good idea, anyway.

A sharp pain went through the skin of her lower forearm, and her ears rang. She let out a high pitched scream. Ithey pat her shoulder. "That way! They're shooting at us!"

Penny whined and took the path Ithey recommended as another bullet whizzed by her ear, scorching the tip. More junctions, and she turned several more corners. She ended up in a larger alley, attracting the attention of a band of vigilantes she appeared right next to. Her green eyes widened. _**"Oh..."**_

"Holy fuck!"

"Penny, run!" Ithey punched the nearest vigilante in the face, but not before he swiped a silver dagger into Penny's torso. She screeched as pain exploded in her side and dark smoke spilled out with her blood. She reared up and backhanded another, but in her panicked state the next person was raked across the chest with her claws before she fell back onto all fours and ran off as fast as her injured body would let her.

It immediately struck her afterwards, with shouts and a human howl of pain behind her: She just hurt, and possibly killed, a human being. She whined at the thought. Penny never wanted to be like _them_ , some violent monster that sowed misery out of bitterness. No, it was spur of the moment, she had to do something...right?

"I can get off if you want," Ithey offered after they disappeared into the shadows again. It snapped her out of her worrying thoughts.

She shook her head. The pain was horrible despite the adrenaline rush, but she knew she couldn't stop. Not now. Every panicked scream and shout set her further on edge, and her breath was becoming ragged from her chest injury and the cold air.

It was growing darker, as if they were leaving the city behind, but the sky did not greet them. Penny was aware enough to notice that there was some starry sky, in fact, but plenty was covered by what looked like a plate.

They were under Midgar.

All she knew was that they needed to hide and find shelter quick. Her side was still bleeding, and that would leave a trail. Penny wandered through a mishmash of partially habitated shacks, the dwellers holing themselves inside as soon as they caught sight of her silhouette. Fear laid thick in the air still, and she limped on.

She stumbled after a few more minutes, needing to catch her breath. They had possibly lost the groups hunting her down, but they still needed a hiding spot. Ithey slid off of her back as she huffed and panted. He put a hand on her ear and rubbed as he looked about.

"Heh, I wish I could see as well as you could in the dark." He ran a hand through his raven hair.

Penny looked about again, then scratched at what looked like a manhole cover three feet from where she sat. Ithey felt around; it was heavy. "I really hate to ask for help..."

She let out a tired, amused huff. Ithey always wanted to be the alpha. Penny grasped the manhole cover with her claws and popped it open, wincing at the pain in her arm. _**"Go first,"**_ she grumbled. He quickly did so before she joined him in the dark sewers of Midgar. Penny's feet hit the ground, and she grasped at the cover with her good arm, replacing it over the hole.

They were shrouded in darkness, but Penny could see a door in the dry walkway. She guided Ithey to it, and as luck would have it it was unlocked. She sniffed the stale air after Ithey opened it, but smelled no one else's scent in the room. There were metal shelves with a few knick-knacks and a handful of burlap sacks that looked bug eaten.

She limped in after him, and collapsed in front of the door after closing it. Ithey looked about with his hands for some sort of light source, and after a few minutes found a partially spent candle and a pack of matches. "Looks like someone had been down here after all," he mused.

Her paw went up towards her face. There was still blood on it. A horrible guilt welled up in her heart as she stared at it. She left the city to keep out of trouble, to stay away from humans so no one had to be hurt. Had she been too naive to think she could keep from that forever? She was beginning to wonder if she was a monster deep down for maiming someone. Penny looked away from her bloodied paw, feeling sick, to watch Ithey struggle with the matches.

The first match was a dud, but he got the second one to light. The candle wick took to the flame quickly, and he came over to Penny to look over her wound. Carefully, he studied the charred, weeping injury. It didn't look particularly deep, but he wasn't sure if the silver would have possibly poisoned her. Neither of them had dealt with silver injuries, except once while they still lived in Junon; it had only touched her skin, not cut through her flesh. Her breaths were a little labored to Ithey, and that worried him.

Or so it seemed, until she started huffing and whining. She was crying. Ithey put the candle down next to him, then sat and cradled her head in his lap. "We'll get out of this mess, Penny...We will. We always do."

He watched over her until her whimpers became pained, deep breaths. He only found sleep hours later as he thought how they could possibly escape the city in one piece, and hopefully, somehow get ahold of Cloud and Tifa.


	56. In the Shadows of Edge

**A/N: Thanks to Kelleyj17 for the beta! This chapter wraps up some goings on in Edge, so I hope it's not too boring to you all.**

* * *

" _President Tuesti, the citizens of Edge are in an uproar over this revelation, that the WRO was abetting werewolves!"_

" _I assure you, and the rest of the citizenry, that this was a purely benevolent act on my part."_

" _But how can we know for sure? Werewolves are known for consuming humans. Why employ one?"_

" _...Because he is someone I trust. I knew him before this malady occurred. I asked him to defend Edge against werewolves, and he had done so. He had kept the city safe."_

" _I'm sorry, President Tuesti, but it sounds rather farfetched…"_

" _Why, because of baseless rumors started by people that lived to tell the tale?"_

" _They did claim they tried, and succeeded in escaping him."_

" _If another werewolf couldn't escape him, how could a defenseless citizen do it?"_

" _I would ask them for their personal tales, sir."_

" _I challenge them to come to me with those tales. He never had a reason to do such things."_

" _But, as a werewolf—"_

" _A werewolf is still a person deep down. We don't know all the details yet, but we've been trying to find answers as to why and how it effects humans. And I ask those listening— Please, if a loved one is infected, report them to us, and do not shun them. The WRO wants a peaceful conclusion, and my friend has proven to me that it is attainable."_

" _But President Tuesti, a man has been mauled to death—"_

 _Click._

This was just what he wanted to deal with, Merle thought sarcastically in his head. First that spiky headed mutt couldn't keep another mutt in check, now another mutt was on the loose and had to be put down. The vigilantes had made Ichi and his job annoying as hell as they spat and cursed at them, while several co-workers damned Reeve for making some sort of deal with human eating monsters.

At least there was a small blood trail to follow.

The black ichor glinted as their hip lights fell upon it, a drop here and there from a small wound. From what Merle could gather, it had another riding on its back. That bit of information caused him to frown deeper. Why would one werewolf ride another? He looked about the alley; it was narrow. He shrugged and quietly went about tracking the monster again.

"Once a Shinra executive, always a Shinra executive," rumbled Paxton as he walked right behind Merle and Ichi. Taller than Merle and beefier than he and Ichi combined, he made for an imposing figure. He had been one of the few that had been rather upset at the news of werewolves working for the WRO. "I knew something was up when they recalled the dogs and had us back as just peacekeepers."

Ichi quietly sighed to himself. Paxton thought Merle and he were upset about the sudden revelation as well. They were upset, but not about something they knew for months; the city was now at the mercy of these things again, with Cloud exiled from the city. As much as either of them still had bad feelings towards him for his role in their friend's death, they knew just as well that he had been keeping everyone safe, and that he was the reason Valdt had even been uncovered in the first place. They had a great respect for him and what he had been trying to do, regardless of how they met.

The blond motioned towards another alley. "Looks like it went this way," he mumbled.

As they made their way through the maze of alleys, minute after painstaking minute, the sound of a man moaning came to their ears. It made the three stiffen, then quickened their pace as the sound of other voices grew. They reached a wide alley near the edge of the city, half a dozen men either watching them or crouched down by something on the ground.

They didn't look too happy to see them.

"WRO. What happened?" Merle asked.

One man who held a bat tapped it threateningly on the palm of his hand. He had a black eye. "None of your business."

Paxton pushed by his comrades and glanced down. "Your friend is injured."

"Yeah, and you fucks aren't takin' him in for your little experiments!" yelled another that was holding his side.

Ichi frowned. "Experiments?" His eyes widened as he finally understood. "He's been infected?"

"He'll have to be put down, before he turns into another one of those things," Paxton concluded. He moved one of the vigilantes away with a firm push to the shoulder. Ichi and Merle walked over to observe the scene as the others gave hostile glares to the three.

He was a bit older than Merle, perhaps in his mid-thirties. Short, black spiky hair and he sported a slight tan despite it being winter. When he opened his eyes after wincing, they were a vivid amber in the artificial light. His blue winter coat had cushioned him from the claws a little, but the fabric was stained with his blood. Still, it seemed the wounds had not sliced through anything major.

"Just my luck, huh?" he grunted out. "After every goddamn thing to happen, I meet my end like this." The man blinked a few times and flexed his fingers. "I don't feel any different yet..."

"You will soon, Jack," one of his friends said apologetically.

Jack huffed. "I'm well aware." He pushed himself up into a sitting position with a grimace, the other vigilantes giving him a small berth as he did so. "...How long is this supposed to take?"

"The WRO said there's an eighteen to thirty-two hour period before the conversion is complete," Paxton rumbled.

"That means he isn't a werewolf for at least half a day," Ichi pointed out. "Maybe even longer."

"So?"

Merle grit his teeth. He hated this. "It means, he should be able to get his affairs in order before we take any drastic measures."

Paxton narrowed his green eyes at him. "This ain't drastic, this is reality. Now, I don't mind him getting things situated while he has time to, he's still a man right now as Ichi just had to point out, but he is gonna have to be put down. No way is he runnin' off into the slums or sent to the WRO for whatever the hell they were planning."

One of the vigilantes raised his brows. "But aren't you part of the WRO?"

The giant turned to him. "Yeah. What, you think we're all on board for that slimy shit?" He pointed at Merle. "He lost his brother and a close friend to a werewolf. I just find the things disgusting, myself."

Merle didn't like to be reminded of what he lost. At least Paxton had no idea about his deal with Reeve, and he outright refused to listen to anyone saying that Cloud was involved in any positive way with the Kalm rescue despite being told outright by others he had helped. That would have complicated what he had to do to get enough time to figure out what to do with this victim. "Paxton, can you escort him to the hospital? We aren't killin' him just yet."

Ichi picked up what he was trying to do. "It wouldn't be right to do so right now, don't you think? He's still a man."

"He won't be for long. It'd be a waste of hospital resources."

Jack looked about helplessly as these strangers discussed his fate. "So am I dying by your hand now or later?"

Paxton glanced down at the injured man. "The sooner the better for all involved."

Ichi crossed his arms. "He still deserves time to say goodbye to loved ones."

Paxton grunted, then nodded grudgingly at Ichi. "I...suppose you're right, under the circumstances," he said hesitantly. He gave the two a piercing look. "You two think you can handle that beast alone?"

Merle nodded firmly, his dark eyes hardened. "Don't you worry about that."

"I'm gonna guard his room and make sure he doesn't try fleein' or anything."

Jack looked about with a resigned look on his face as the giant of a WRO peacekeeper called up an ambulance. "I hope one of you at least visits with some strong booze."

One of the vigilantes looked away. "I'll...think about it, Jack," he said without conviction.

"If we don't see you before it happens...We promise we won't forget who you were."

Jack's jaw tensed and his eyes lowered. He motioned with his head to Paxton. "Whatever. Let's go." The WRO peacekeeper nodded, then began talking to dispatch.

"I'm gonna club that beast to death for this!" exclaimed one of the vigilantes. He pointed at Merle and Ichi. "I'm goin' with you guys to find this fucker."

Ichi shook his head. "We'll take care of it ourselves, sir. We don't want any more possible casualties."

The young man shook his head. "I don't wanna hear that shit. Jack was a close buddy of mine!"

"Was?" Ichi inquired.

The vigilante shrugged weakly. "He won't be around much longer, one way or another. I want revenge."

Merle scowled. "Trust me, that'll get you into more trouble than it's worth. Unless you wanna join him in the hospital or the morgue, you'll let us handle it," he said curtly. There was no way he was going to try to explain that lycanthropy didn't turn people into a furry, living version of a vampire or something. They were still themselves, he knew now. It made everything so much more complicated than he wanted it to be.

The vigilante made a face. "I bet you're gonna capture it for the WRO. Probably gonna take Jack, too, to some lab!"

Ichi glared at him. "We were sent out here to put it down, not have it sign a job contract."

The young man was about to argue, but an older man put a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Let'em take care of it, man." He looked at Merle. "If that big guy was speakin' the truth, they'll take care of it."

"He was," came Merle's clipped response. As the other vigilantes dispersed, some walking towards home and a couple staying behind with Paxton and Jack, the two peacekeepers returned their attention to the blood trail. There was a small pool of it and a silver coated weapon partially dipped into the blood, letting out a faint hiss and black smoke as it bubbled. Again they found the trail, leading to the slums underneath Midgar's plate.

The duo immediately noticed as they entered the slums that any who lived here had barricaded themselves in their shacks. A few looked out misshapen windows or between cracks in the sheet metal, eyes revealed by the hip light when they swiveled them towards the dilapidated homes. "They definitely saw something pass through here," Ichi observed.

"No doubt we're close. Look." Merle pointed at another tiny puddle of blood and claw marks in the dust. The light looked about the area, but found the trail ended here. He crouched down and examined the ground. Shoe and paw prints. He put a hand on the manhole cover next to them, but hesitated. "If we go down here, we might be in for a trap."

Ichi crouched down across from him, hands ready to pry off the metal cover. "I'll drop a flare down there first. We can watch each other's backs."

"Sounds good."

They pulled the manhole cover off and to the side, and Ichi lit a flare before dropping it into the sewer. There were no moving shadows beneath them in the red light. Merle jumped down first, aiming his rifle into the darkness, the Ichi who did the same behind him. More blood glinted from the light of the flare, and they followed it. Ichi kept a look out behind his friend, even as they came to a stop in front of a large metal door.

This must be where it was hiding.

The two were tense, sweating despite the cold. They couldn't hear anything in the room beyond. Was it waiting to attack them? Did it hear them entering the sewer? Was it too injured and tired to do much else but rest? Merle put a hand on the handle and squeezed. He looked at Ichi and nodded.

Ichi aimed straight forward, pale white light shining on the dirty metal. He held his breath, prepared for his shot, and nodded once.

Merle silently counted to three in his head, then pulled down on the handle and pushed. It budged a little, a crack forming between the door and the doorway, but it felt like something large was blocking it. It turned out to be someone as a snort and a grunt issued from behind the door.

"Shit!"

Merle glanced at Ichi, who was aiming his rifle right above his shoulder. He immediately moved his body as the sound of two paws quickly tapping upon the concrete came much too close for comfort. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a moving shadow in the reddish light of the flare, two eyes reflecting it like coals in a fire.

The teeth as well gained an orangish-red hue.

Ichi shot and a howl of pain echoed through the narrow sewers. Merle took his own rifle out and pointed it at the beast. "Thought we'd be easy victims, huh, mutt?!"

Those demon eyes looked at him as it crouched, holding its shoulder and baring its teeth. Its voice almost held a feminine quality to it, nearly lost in the gutteral nature of the sound. _**"Everyone is invading my territory..."**_ A bestial chuckle passed its maw. _**"You chased the hunter out of the city. It's ours again."**_

The blond aimed another shot as Merle pressed more firmly on the trigger of his rifle. "We'll give him your regards, mutt."

It lunged, and the two shot at nearly the same time. Merle hit it through its clavicle, and Ichi through its head. The monster collapsed inches away from their boots. They both let out breaths they didn't know they were holding, and looked at each other.

"You've always been the better shot under pressure," Merle remarked blandly.

Ichi snorted, then couldn't help but chuckle quietly as his ears rang. "Getting better."

Merle shot him a small smirk which faded when he remembered that there was something behind the door that they stood near. It was closed, when it had been nudged open an inch right before the werewolf attacked. He walked up to it and tried pushing it open again as Ichi covered his back.

It barely moved.

The dark haired peacekeeper huffed. He had had enough of tonight. Merle banged on the door with his fist, metal on reinforced leather glove reverberating off the walls with a dull thud. "WRO, open up, mutt!"

"Um, I don't think they care about that."

"Then we'll call for backup!"

Their hearts jumped into their throats as they heard a nervous whine issue from the other side of the door. Unlike the other werewolf, this one was smart enough to try to hide away, but dumb enough to think it could keep them out forever.

"Uh, how about we talk first?" came a male's voice that was gritted out behind the door.

Merle scoffed. "Talk? A man's been infected and others have been injured in your rampage, mutt!"

"We were chased by a crowd!"

Ichi kept his rifle steady, but his finger wasn't on the trigger just yet. "Why?"

There was a pause. "Because we were visiting friends, but they were kicked out of Edge." The two felt themselves lean towards the door. "You're all a bunch of damned idiots. He was keeping you people safe, and you act like a bunch of ungrateful pricks just because of something he can't help—"

"You're friends of Cloud and Tifa?"

There was silence for a few moments, then the door opened just enough for a head to slowly poke out of the crack, looking between the two peacekeepers. He was a young man, with messy, short black hair. "Yeah. Wait a minute. Y-you were with Cloud after that werewolf attacked Tifa's bar, right?"

"Who are you?" Merle demanded.

"Ithey. Penelope and me were at the bar before you guys left."

Ichi faintly remembered the two young adults that quietly regarded the bar and the people within that evening. His rifle lowered, but his grip remained tight on it, considering the circumstances. He narrowed his eyes. "She infected someone, you know."

There was another whine behind the door. Ithey gave him a hard look. "They hurt her when we were trying to run away. I don't really care if she hurt any of them."

There was another pathetic whine from behind the door, followed by the sound of claws scratching against concrete.

Merle sighed harshly before motioning for Ithey to open the door. After a few moments of hesitation he did so, but kept himself between the peacekeepers and Penny. She was sitting down, eyes to the floor. Ichi came into the room first, watching her warily. He didn't like being this close with his rifle down, but under the circumstances it was best to be diplomatic, he thought. Ithey seemed more of a potential threat than the injured monster on the floor.

Ithey pointed at a black gash on her side. "They hurt her pretty good."

Ichi studied it in the light, and shifted uncomfortably as Penny's green eyes looked up at him. The edges of her mouth were downturned, and the skin around her eyes were wet. "Uh...Is it alright if I take a look?"

She blinked slowly, then nodded before turning her head away with her ears drooping near her brow. He nervously came closer, then bent down to examine Penny's side. Merle gave Ithey a dour frown. "Why did you come into Edge?"

"There were hunters in our forest. It's almost a Full Moon, and we didn't want any accidents." He let out a long sigh. "I guess that didn't work out so well."

"It...it doesn't look too deep," Ichi quietly remarked as Penny shyly glanced his way. He looked up at Merle as he fumbled with one of his pockets. "What do we do?"

"How should I know?" There was a dead werewolf in the sewer, a live one in the room with her friend, and these two were friends of Cloud and Tifa. The cat. He would have to get ahold of Tuesti somehow. He gave a harsh glare to Penny, who whined and turned her head back. "Have to help another damned mutt.."

"She isn't a mutt!" Ithey nearly roared.

Merle tsked as the teen's voice echoed in the room and beyond. "I don't care what she is to you, or what Cloud is to the both of you. I've lost people because of werewolves." He leveled his stare at Ithey. "Maybe you've spent so much time away from others that you don't understand the risks of coming into a city full of fearful people."

Ithey shook his head. "How could we have known something bad happened since the last time we visited? Everything was fine during the holidays..."

"Things can change from one hour to the next," Ichi replied as he slowly doused Penny's wound with a potion. It was having a small effect on the cut, stopping the bleeding in the shallower edges. It still wept in the deepest parts, however. He stood up and walked towards Merle, relieved to be away from the werewolf. "I suggest you use this sewer system to go deeper into Midgar's slums. If you can get to Sector Five, there's a church there. Can't miss it."

Merle grunted an affirmative. "I don't know how far away it is from here, but only go topside after you've gone past several manholes at least. The WRO will be all over the area shortly. We'll try to get ahold of Cloud's friend, and...he can see what he can do about you two."

Ithey nodded thankfully at the two peacekeepers. "We'll stay out of sight the rest of the night." He paused, putting his hand on Penny's furry wrist as she stood up on her hind legs. "Thank you from us both."

Merle turned his head away with a grimace. "Whatever."

"Uh, y-yeah, no problem," Ichi stuttered out. Even while doing nothing hostile, werewolves were intimidating. The peacekeepers let Penny and Ithey leave first, then pointed them in the general direction of Sector Five. "Should be that way. The slums there are mostly abandoned, unlike Sector Four."

Ithey looked down the dark tunnel after glancing at the dead werewolf. He could feel Penny shivering, but it wasn't from the cold. "Alright." He looked up at Penny. "Let's go, Penelope."

Ichi and Merle watched as they disappeared into the darkness. As their footfalls became more distant, the two peacekeepers began their trek back above ground. There was a dead werewolf to report and a cat to gossip with.

* * *

Jack laid on the hospital bed, scratching at the gauze on his chest and staring at the ceiling as thoughts swirled in his head. He had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a werewolf had clawed him right in the chest. It hadn't even the politeness to finish him off! No, instead it decided to 'breed' another of its kind.

He wondered if it even mattered. Emily was long dead, and his ex-wife would care little if he was dead or chomping on humans, so long as she wasn't the human being chomped. His friends considered him as good as dead now. He was alone.

What could he do in his final hours, before the malady took over his mind and senses? Would it do so on the Full Moon, which was coming up very shortly? Not that he would live to see it, Paxton was adamant he be put down when symptoms began to arise. Jack would have prefered they shot him in the alley now, because the will to live was overtaking his disgust of becoming a monster.

Jack's eyes shifted towards the door, and he sat up in bed as a doctor came in to assess him again. He was tall, refined, and had a calm air about him. He had a sharp nose and chin and a rather delicate brow for a man; his eyes were a citrine green and his hair was short and dirty blond.

"Doctor Venetii," Jack greeted.

"Mr. Combs."

"Just Jack will do."

Doctor Venetii nodded before taking a seat in a chair next to the bed and checking his patient's vitals. The injury had begun to dry, but Jack had waved away any attempts to clean it or give an emergency potion. The herbal concoctions were used for first aid mostly, but even the hospital had some on hand to make a cut shallower or to slow bleeding. The rarer potions were only used for emergencies, and they didn't always do the trick. The medical personnel would have loved to have seen if any of them worked on what would be a slow healing wound.

He shined a light into Jack's eye. "Still feeling like yourself?"

"Yeah."

Doctor Venetii took out a tiny tablet from a bottle in his coat pocket. He handed it to Jack, and he popped it in his mouth. "How does it taste?"

Jack shrugged. "Sweet."

"Disgustingly so?"

"No, just sweet. Why?"

The doctor tapped below his lip. "The first major symptoms manifest in the senses. They become far sharper. But your sense of taste changes drastically, you see. Sweet foods are rejected as too sugary, and certain carby foods taste outright disgusting, like oatmeal." He let out a dry chuckle. "Obviously meat flavors will be enhanced."

Jack turned away. "Eh. It doesn't matter. That guy out there is gonna finish me off before I try killing people for a meal."

Doctor Venetii shifted in his seat and coughed into his fist. Jack turned his way again. "You don't have to do that, you know."

Jack's face warped into a sneer. "I know what they do, everyone in Edge does! The fact the WRO was using them is inexcusable."

"Perhaps the people know less than they think they do."

"You want me to believe that crap? I saw what happened the other night. A werewolf that's immune to silver!" Jack shook his head. "That and the other one that mauled that man."

"I don't know much about the second werewolf, but I know of the first one's exploits," said the doctor.

Jack narrowed his amber eyes. "What, are you friends with it?"

Doctor Venetii gave a withering look to his patient. "No, but he helped save a group of prisoners in Kalm late last year."

"Sounds like a load of shit."

"It's not. I don't know him personally, but it was very recently revealed to me that he was the one that helped test the spray, he was the one that gave the WRO information on lycanthropy as best he could. Because of him, we know there's a chance to save any werewolves willing to try." Doctor Venetii glanced at the doorway. He had been keeping his voice down. Again he brought his eyes to his patient. "President Tuesti said he will speak with you about your options."

"Options?" Jack looked taken aback, then looked into his lap. "My options are limited. No one wants another monster out there."

The doctor stood up and stretched out his hand as his patient looked at it. "That's up to you. Good luck, Jack."

Jack took his hand and shook it. "Thanks, Doc."

Doctor Venetii took his leave, and Jack was alone with his thoughts again. To die, or to live? What was the point of living, when not even his friends would have anything to do with him now? He had no family. He felt it would have been best if he had been killed during the Deepground incident, instead of evacuating with everyone else.

What could Tuesti offer him, Jack wondered to himself. He was a former Shinra executive, and he very obviously was into some shady dealings if he would deal with werewolves. Jack let out a harsh sigh. But, he wondered, if the doctor was right, was what Tuesti had done actually as bad as the things Shinra had done?

But that one could touch silver...

He heard voices beyond the closed door, one calm and the other an agitated Paxton. Then another. After a few minutes he heard footfalls stomp off. Then the door opened, and a man Jack recognized as Reeve Tuesti came in. He held a professional, a regal air about him. He closed the door behind him, then walked up to shake Jack's hand. He cautiously took it.

"Mr. Combs." Tuesti nodded a greeting. "I wish that I had no reason at all to visit you here, but I was quickly informed of your situation."

"And I guess you're here to give me an offer I can't refuse," Jack drawled out. "I'm not interested in bein' your lap dog, or one of your lab experiments. So if that's what you're giving me, you may as well have Paxton come in here right now and shoot me."

President Tuesti shook his head. "I'm not asking you to be those things."

"So then," Jack began as Tuesti came to sit in the chair next to his bed, "what do you want from me?"

"Since the incident, I would say that the WRO has to take another approach with werewolves. It's not for lack of trying, of course. I was hoping that they could stay in the city peacefully."

"It was only a matter of time before one of them got the taste for humans," Jack chastised.

Tuesti frowned. "That wasn't the case at all."

Jack snorted disbelievingly. "I keep hearing about how they aren't so bad, then I hear about that or see one close up, or get clawed by one before I can defend myself. And you...you wanna tell me I don't have to be like those things," he said quietly.

"Things won't be the same, of course not. But it's not the end of the world, Mr. Combs. You don't have to be one of the things my friend hunted."

The spiky haired man looked at his lap, then back at the WRO president. "He's still your friend," he stated.

Tuesti nodded firmly. "He's a good man, despite being a trouble magnet," he said as the edges of his lips curled upward ever so little. "It's a shame he had to flee, but Edge isn't safe for him or his family any longer."

Jack looked away again. Was he really the werewolf in that bar? He had left before the blue eyed beast decided to attack them. It was still strange to think about how it was being protected by a pregnant barmaid before recovering from the spray. It was even stranger to think that that was his mate, and they were _breeding_.

"We've decided that for the time being, it would be best to keep any werewolves who wish to live in peace somewhere away from most normal people. After all, you haven't done anything that deserves death."

"Not yet."

"We can help you overcome this."

Jack sighed harshly and rubbed his face. "But for what?" He looked at Tuesti. "I have nothing, I have no one. No family, and my friends think I'm as good as dead." He motioned towards the door. "That big guy certainly isn't letting me leave here alive, regardless of your orders." He wondered if he wanted to go on living or not. What kind of future did this hold?

"Paxton has been relieved by his superiors so he could get some rest. So, you still have the chance to leave the city and be under the guidance of my friend." Reeve had his hands clasped in his lap. "You can always find a reason to go on."

Jack huffed and scratched the side of his cheek. "Starting over this late in life, as...something that gives people nightmares."

"You wouldn't be giving anyone nightmares if you're living away from most other people. We have a village planned."

"A village?"

"Yes," the president said. "On the other continent. We're planning it now, and the WRO will start construction soon. You won't have to worry about being shunned for your affliction."

Jack's brow furrowed. "A village of werewolves?" How many did the WRO know of?

Tuesti shook his head. "Werewolves and accepting humans. It would be far too small if it was just werewolves."

"How do you plan on finding those?" he inquired.

"Very carefully," Tuesti replied.

A single huff of a chuckle left Jack. He had everything to gain, and very little to lose. He felt he wasn't quite ready to die just yet; he wondered fleetingly if he should have just had Paxton shoot him while he was laying in the alley. Too late now, he thought. "How do you plan on getting me out of here?"

* * *

"Hey, I think that's it..."

Ithey and Penny sneaked through the shadows of the ruins. Sector Five was as barren of people as the peacekeeper had said, and the largest building in the area loomed in front of them. Penny sniffed the air, then trotted closer to it as Ithey kept pace. She held a slight limp as the injury on her side caused her pain.

Ithey motioned for her to wait, then he went to see if the coast was clear. He hesitantly opened the door of the church, then checked the inside with a quick look for any people. He turned his head and waved her over, and Penny made her way in as quickly as was manageable.

He closed the door as she made her way in, and then slowly walked down the aisle. The side of the church had a hole busted into it, allowing some moonlight to make its way into the church from behind the partially collapsed plate. He could make out a pool surrounded by flowers. Flowers growing in the winter.

Penny walked past the pool and behind a stone pillar. She let her paws slip from under her and she plopped onto the wooden floor, exhausted and in pain. The scent of the flowers was soothing to her nerves, and so was Ithey's touch as his fingers rubbed one of her ears. She lifted her head and searched his eyes for some sort of reassurance.

He shuffled closer and let her rest her head in his lap. "Well, we're in a better spot than we were a while ago, I guess."

 _ **"What have I done..."**_

Ithey looked down at her. "What were you supposed to do?"

She shrugged. _**"Not...do that."**_

He looked away, towards a few lilies he could see from his position. "They didn't have the right to touch you."

A little whine escaped her lips, and Ithey rubbed her cheek as white puffs escaped into the air from her mouth. "Let's try and get some rest again, Penelope."

The two shifted into a more comfortable position, still on the alert for any sounds of human making. Ithey drifted off first, his hand cupping Penny's ear. She looked about the corner they chose with one eye, listening to the groan of the plate far above and to the side of them and the scratching and squeaking of hidden rodents.

She wasn't sure if she could sleep again.

Still, it went through Penny's head that she had done the same thing to someone that had been done to her when she was an adolescent. She had changed someone. It wasn't out of any dark desires to cause suffering, just survival instincts to make the pain stop, but it made little difference on her conscience.

Would he survive? Would his friends murder him? Would he escape somewhere, only to begin killing people on the Full Moon? She felt those lives would be on her head as well. She felt she had been far too confident, coming into the city without more thought than to come in during the night. Cloud seemed upbeat, and his mood had easily rubbed off on her.

But tonight, she felt it was for nothing.

People at large wouldn't think of her as anything more than a crafty monster, she thought. She should have just stayed in her forested exile...but if she hadn't left, the hunters would have put her at risk if they discovered them. They would have either shot at her, or fled and brought others with them to flush her out.

Penny sighed into Ithey's lap. He grunted in his sleep, then slid his fingers into her fur. They had to survive the rest of the night, until those two men could bring help. She worried that it might be a trap, but that Ichi fellow had seemed honest. Terrified, and honest. She had to trust them.

As her mind continued to ramble she slowly succumbed to sleep, finally waking to the terrifying sound of the church door creaking open. She lifted her head and stared in the direction of the footsteps that creaked on the old, weathered wood, despite the pillar being in the way. It was a few moments later that she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Ithey was peeking from behind the stone, watching with dread.

She could smell the fear pouring off of him.

"Hello?" Came a deep, male voice. "Penny? Ithey?"

Ithey moved his head further out and into the man's field of vision. The church was darker now with the moon having set, but the skies above were lightening ever so much. The mysterious man was holding a flashlight in one hand and a bundle in the other, and he began to walk over towards the teen.

The man held a professional air about him, partially because of his suit, partially because of how he held himself. His hair was dark and combed back, and he had a goatee and dark eyes. The strangest thing to Penny however, was the lack of any kind of human scent from him. She couldn't help but furrow her brow as she looked him up and down after sitting on her haunches. Why didn't he smell like a person? There were people scents on him, like Ichi and Merle, but not his own.

He smiled at them both. "It's been a little while since we've seen each other," the man remarked.

Ithey shifted on his feet. "Uh, I don't think we've ever met before, sir. Who are you?"

The man winked at him, then looked at Penny. "My name is Reeve Tuesti. I'm a friend of Cloud and Tifa."

That's all they really needed to hear. Ithey brought his hand out, and Reeve shook it. "We're glad to meet you."

"I hear tonight has been rather upsetting to you two," Reeve began with a sympathetic tone. He set the bundle he had been holding down in front of Penny. "Some clothing."

Her eyes brightened at the news, and she snagged the bag and dragged it to the other side of the pillar with her. She quickly changed back, and began to look through the bag and put the articles of clothing on as the cold clung to her furless body. Jeans, an oversized black sweater, a knit cap and some sneakers covered her as she popped back into view. "Thank you so much, really!" She scratched her arm, a somber look crossing her face. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause any trouble..."

Reeve gave her a reassuring nod. "I know you wouldn't try to, Penny. Be that as it may, I think it would be best if we moved you two to the continent to the west."

Ithey cocked his head with an expression of disbelief growing on his face. "Move? You mean permanently?"

Reeve looked at him and nodded again. "We're trying to create a village that would house werewolves."

"But the forest is all we have," Penny protested weakly. It was her territory, too. Who would she have to share space with? Not that she wouldn't mind with Cloud, and maybe with the male she hadn't met yet. But what about others? Would there be enough space?

"We've been away from that kind of setting for awhile," Ithey pointed out. "And where is Cloud and Tifa?"

"In Rocket Town, on West Continent."

"You want to send us over there, with them..." Ithey looked away, and crossed his arms as he thought. "They agreed to it?"

"Yes. They've picked out and looked at an area that can accomodate them and others. It still needs to be built, but you'll have modern amenities when we've finished construction." Reeve gave them both a searching look.

Penny bit her lip and looked down at her feet. This was a lot to take in, when her world was so small. Her eyes glanced towards the far off door of the church. She knew they couldn't stay in the city, and her forest was being used by hunters. If she had been the cutthroat type, she would have killed them.

But that wouldn't have solved her issues at all, she thought.

She quietly walked over to the pool, her side still burning from the gash and making her limp slightly. Penny crouched down and fingered one of the lilies, taking in the scent. The water here had a different smell to it than the creeks of her forest, and she looked at her reflection; she looked tired and scared. What choice did they have, when humans were encroaching and trying to exterminate every last werewolf they could find? She couldn't keep Ithey safe forever, and he couldn't do the same for her, either.

Would it be so bad?

They had no precious baubles, just a shack and a tiny orchard created from some seeds they recovered from their fruit provisions before escaping Junon. Neither of them were unprepared to die as they saw that big, red meteor slowly descending from the sky all those years ago, going about their business and enjoying what they thought would be their last week or two before they died. Couldn't they start over again?

"It's...not gonna be easy," she finally said as she looked up towards Ithey, then Reeve. "But those people aren't gonna leave us alone."

Ithey was chewing on his cheek, thinking about the same things as Penny. Being away from other people for so long, and now that he was finally getting a taste of the city again, he was being uprooted to a continent he never visited before. A place he never thought he would ever see. He had been content enough to live like a hermit, but then Cloud came into their lives.

He may have saved them through that, however. If they had never met, they would have never known about the rest of the world finding out about werewolves. Penny could have been killed in their forest, ignorant of that fact. Ithey ran his hands through his scalp. "I...I think we can do this. A place that'll be safe, for real this time." He looked Reeve's way and firmly nodded. "Let's do this."


	57. Easy Does It

**A/N: Thanks to kelleyj17 for her beta, and thanks all for the comments!**

* * *

Cloud waited, arms crossed tightly across his chest while irritably pacing in front of Tifa and Reeve. They were waiting inside Rocket Town's airport, a simple WRO building used mostly for commercial and military movements. Ever since Reeve had broke the news that morning, the two had been a mix of anxiety and irritation.

They were both worried about Penny and Ithey. Penny had been injured, and one of her attackers had been clawed by her in a panic. Cloud didn't want to have anything to do with the former vigilante, but unfortunately for him he had made it his goal to save werewolves, even ones that he wanted to beat into a pulp for uprooting his life.

He wasn't going to make it easy on the stranger.

It didn't help matters that there would be a town hall meeting in a few days, and the subject was going to be him, and he was going to have to calm the townsfolks' fears. He was confident most of them wouldn't mind them around until the village was constructed; after all, they weren't there permanently, and he was one of Cid's most trusted friends. That counted for something around here.

He just had to keep his chin up, Cloud thought. Just like Tifa had said.

The door on the other side of the small building opened up. Ithey was holding it open; he looked absolutely exhausted, but he had an accomplished, if tired, smile on his face. Penny limped through the doorway, looking as if she had aged ten years. Her eyes lit up as they fell on Cloud and Tifa, and she came over as fast as she could.

Tifa met her a little more than halfway, holding her snugly. One hand was at her back and the other on Penny's head, and Tifa could feel her shuddering. "Shhh. You're safe, sweetie. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

Penny sniffled and swallowed hard. "I just want it all to stop. I'm so tired, Tifa."

Tifa squeezed her firmly. She knew that feeling far too well. "It'll get better. We'll make a place where you don't have to be afraid."

The teen nodded into Tifa's shoulder. "That's what Mr. Tuesti said..." She moved her head and finally noticed Reeve standing there with a clever smile on his face. Penny raised a brow as she straightened up. "M-Mr. Tuesti...?" She looked the way she came, then back at him.

He chuckled and walked closer, and held out his hand to her. She slowly took it as she caught wind of his scent. Unlike inside of the church, Reeve had his own scent now. One covered by a faint cologne that reminded her of pine and oakmoss. "It's very nice to finally meet you in person, Penny."

"But I met you at the church...I...think?"

His smile grew as he withdrew his hand. "This is the first time we've met face to face. Cait Sith likes to wear me around the city sometimes, you see."

Penny looked taken aback. "That was Cait Sith?"

Reeve nodded and tapped his head. "We have a connection, you see. And I need a body double sometimes, especially in this political climate."

She gently huffed and then smiled at him. "Thank you, Mr. Tuesti. And it's nice to really meet you, too."

Ithey walked over at that moment, holding a puzzled look on his face as he looked back and forth between the two. Penny quickly explained before Reeve could, and Ithey held out his hand to shake in greeting. Cloud coughed into his fist to get everyone's attention. "We're gonna show you to your room in the WRO building."

"Right! Uh, lead the way," Ithey said with a nod.

"I'll see you all later. I'm going to greet our _other_ guest," Reeve said with a wave.

Cloud nodded, then walked the two towards the exit. "Rocket Town is much quieter than Edge. We're only staying until the new village is built, and that'll be our final destination," he said flatly.

"There's going to be a town hall meeting after the Full Moon. Some of the townsfolk are uneasy, and some are just curious. They trust Cid's judgement, but they're going to want Cloud to talk a little," Tifa remarked.

Penny hugged at her sides and made an uncomfortable noise. "I-I really don't wanna deal with people anymore today. I mean you guys are fine, and the people on the airship were nice enough to bandage my cut..."

"Yeah, but we mostly stayed in that one room. We didn't wanna bump into the other guy," Ithey said lowly. "Mr. Tuesti told us it would be best to avoid him for a while, but we were planning on that anyway."

"Mhm, he was...in the infirmary. So we stayed out of there."

Cloud grunted as they passed the automatic doors. "I wish I had that luxury."

"I'm sorry..."

He glanced at Penny from behind his shoulder, and he gave her a sympathetic look. "I don't blame you. He shouldn't have been out there, pretending he's a hero."

She scratched her arm. "I just...I don't feel right about any of this."

Cloud looked away. "...He made his bed. Now he lies in it."

There were a few curious glances cast their way on occasion as they made their way towards the WRO building. Both Penny and Ithey took note of the warmer weather, and Tifa explained it just like she had to her children. They wouldn't have to worry about sub-zero temperatures on this part of the continent, she said.

Penny and Ithey followed their friends upstairs and into a simple, if modern, room. There was a large bed with navy blue blankets and pillows on it, resting against the far corner near a rectangular window that was letting in the early afternoon sun. A grey plastic dresser rested beneath the thin sill, with two drawers and handles to open them. A nightstand with a basic lamp and a landline stood at the side of the bed, and the cream tile floor had a small rug of blue-grey at the center. An open door on the wall opposite the bed led to what was most likely a bathroom. A small grey, square table with two chairs was resting in the corner farthest from the window.

"Oh, what a big bed!" Penny slowly walked up to it, then pushed on the mattress with her hands to test it. "I better not sit on it, I'd probably fall asleep."

"Yeah. We should probably get cleaned up before we crash." Ithey looked over at Cloud and Tifa, who were patiently waiting in the doorway. "This is a nice start to a new beginning."

"Mhm." Tifa nodded, then pointed out towards the hall. "There's a small cafeteria here where you can get your meals for now, but laundry is done by yourself. There's a laundry room for personnel downstairs."

Ithey shifted on his feet. "Is there anyway we can help with anything? I don't think we could stay here and not do something."

Cloud put a hand to his hip and scratched his brow. "You can talk to Reeve about that later. He said he wanted you two settled in, and we do, too."

Tifa added, "you both look too exhausted to be talking about pitching in!"

"Yeah." Penny walked back up to them. "Are we really safe? We aren't gonna be attacked?"

Cloud shook his head. "No pitchforks and torches yet."

"Cloud!" Tifa gave him fondly exasperated look, then turned back to the teens. "Rocket Town is populated mostly by mechanics and scientists who used to work on Shinra's space program. They tend to be a little more reasonable than most other folk."

"Oh. Well, that's nice to hear..." Penny yawned into her hand.

Tifa came up to her and gave her a farewell hug. "You two should get some rest. We'll be back tomorrow, okay? Just unwind today."

They said their goodbyes after making sure they were situated in their room, then the couple made their way down the hall. Cloud looked at Tifa and gave her hand a little squeeze. "I'll meet you back at Cid's in a little bit."

Tifa hummed quietly, then nodded. "Don't get too rowdy with him," she said with a faint, sardonic smile.

He snorted. "That depends on his attitude."

Cloud walked towards the room set up for his new ward, Jack Comb. The irony of the situation had stuck with him throughout the morning, and crawled into his thoughts even now. A former vigilante, turned into something he hated enough to try and root out of the city.

He shoved the thoughts aside before knocking on the door. Cloud pressed a button and it slid open, revealing a room very similar to Ithey and Penny's. Reeve stood by the bed, looking professional as ever, and a man that had a passing semblance to Zack sat on its side.

As Cloud studied the stranger, the semblance became stronger in some areas and weaker in others. Similar jaw and mouth, different nose. His eyes were amber and far less friendly. He sported a slight tan under his white T-shirt and blue jeans and a five o'clock shadow, and a lankier build than his long dead friend. The stranger, Jack, smelled of anger. Strangely enough, there was no furry scent yet.

Cloud figured it hadn't set in yet somehow. He gave him a curt nod. "I'm Cloud. I'm gonna be breaking you in."

Jack scowled. "Is _she_ going to be there, too?"

"Nice to meet you, too." The blond figured he was talking about Penny. "She can probably fend for herself on the Full Moon." He thought Ithey could keep her company.

"Of course, let her run amok." Jack glared at Reeve. "What kinda operation is this, really?"

"The exact same I described to you in the hospital."

"Penny isn't going to hurt anyone."

The black haired man pointed at his chest as he pulled up his shirt, revealing a white mass of bandages. "This says different."

"The only reason you're here is because you and your friends are idiots," Cloud growled out. "You had to pretend you were making a difference, and forgot that being a hero can lead to some very grave consequences."

Jack scoffed at him. "What would you know? I don't care if he-" a finger was pointed at Reeve, "-vouches for you. There was lots of talk about you tryin' to kidnap people from the streets."

The glower Cloud gave him sent a shiver down the other two men's spines. "I know a lot more about the consequences of playing hero than you'll ever know, understand? I don't care about the stupid rumors, they led to my home being trashed by you ingrates.

"I've helped more people than you. I've saved more lives than you. In return, my family gets tossed to the curb, and my friends are nearly killed trying to find us. You're lucky I don't beat the hell out of you for whatever part you had in this."

Reeve put a hand up. "I think that's enough, Cloud," he said slowly.

Cloud glanced at him, then reluctantly nodded. He paused, centering himself again with one long, deep breath he blew out in a quick huff. "The Full Moon is after tonight. You're going to get acquainted with your new senses and instincts until then."

"Great," Jack replied with noticeable sarcasm. "Teach me how to be a proper monster."

Cloud narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm gonna teach you how to not be a monster, but it's up to you whether you're too weak to handle this."

Jack tightened his jaw. That was a challenge. "I'm not weak."

"Then prove it."

* * *

The children had been taken to the park to wait for Tifa to get back. After Denzel's outburst they had gently tried to explain to him that they would fix the issue and that they didn't need him to instigate anything with the townsfolk. He had retorted back that they should have done something a lot sooner.

He didn't know what exactly, but they kept saying the adults should handle this. They were handling it poorly in his opinion.

His mood was a little better after some time on the playground. He felt less pent up, more trusted since they were alone. Apparently Rocket Town was safer than Edge, so if they were good Cloud and Tifa had no qualms about them going back and forth between Cid's and the park. The children weren't the focus of the town's ire, Cloud was.

Denzel tossed the football back to Zeph as Marlene played with a jump rope Barret had bought her that morning. "D'you think we'll get to go to school here?"

Zeph caught the ball and shrugged. "I dunno. If we're only gonna be here for a couple of months, why bother?"

"It'd keep us out of the house."

The blond tossed the football back. "This does, too."

Denzel nodded sullenly after catching. "I know I said I had a hard time adjusting to school when I first went, but...I wanna be a medic one day."

Zeph raised his brows. "A medic?"

"Yeah." He sent Zeph a grumpy look. "What?"

"Nothin'. I thought you always wanted to be a fighter, like Cloud."

Denzel scoffed, then tossed the ball. "I can be both if I want to. I just wanna be able to help people," he admitted quietly. "What good is a medic out on the field if they have a monster chewin' on their leg, anyway?"

Zeph cracked a smile as he caught the thrown ball. "Well, I wanna work on machines. So maybe I'll make you something that'll outrun monsters, since your rod can only shove so many of them away."

"I bet I could take on a bunch of monsters with my rod!"

The blond casually tossed the football in the air, then caught it. "I fought off a werewolf with my sword already."

Denzel put his arms on his hips. "I used my limit to stop a Shadow Creeper when I was eight!"

Marlene giggled a little at the competition before she stopped playing and walked over with her jump rope in hand. "Maybe we should go back to school. That way you guys won't drive Cloud bonkers with your weapons."

"He trusts us," Denzel assured her.

"Yeah, but with everything that's happening he's gonna have less time to train you two. And the baby, when Tifa has her they're gonna be really busy."

Denzel held an uncomfortable look on his face. Zeph rubbed the back of his head and then readjusted his headband. "We don't need him there for everything."

The three turned to the sound of approaching footsteps in the grass. There was a slightly older child, possibly thirteen or fourteen with milk chocolate brown hair and grey hazel eyes. A girl that looked a little younger than Marlene watched them far to the side, her arms crossed on her chest in a haughty display. Auburn hair framed a pale face with deep green eyes.

A few other kids began congregating, watching curiously. The three had a feeling of slight unease at all the attention they were getting. The brunet took a step forward, then asked, "aren't you that werewolf's kids?" His voice held that accent that Cid and most of the townsfolk held, and he spoke quietly and deliberately.

Denzel didn't say anything as he glowered at the older child, Zeph by his side. The blond nodded curtly after a wayward glance at his adoptive sibling. "He's family," he said simply. Cloud was the only father figure he had ever known, and he wasn't one to be fairweather towards him.

The older child cocked his head. He was upfront, but hadn't yet been outwardly hostile. "Aren't you werewolves too, then?"

Zeph shook his head. "No."

The auburn haired girl began mocking the three. "You probably got fleas!" She scratched at her arm.

"No we don't," Denzel growled.

"My mom said the werewolf probably smells like a wet dog," said a boy slightly younger than Denzel and Zeph. He had a shock of dirty blond hair and freckles on his cheeks and nose.

The adolescent rolled his eyes. "My mom said he helped Cid deliver that Geostigma cure."

"Oh." The other boy rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I guess he's pretty okay then, even if he might smell like a wet dog."

"He doesn't smell like that!"

Marlene put a hand on Denzel's shoulder, but he rolled it away. "Denzel, I think they just don't know Cloud, that's all..." She thought the blond boy might be receptive, but she wouldn't waste her time with the girl at all.

He turned to glare at her. "They need to leave him alone!"

"I bet he's a werewolf, he's angry like one," the girl said as she attempted to instigate one of the three.

Zeph looked at Denzel, who was becoming red in the face as he clenched his teeth together, and then at the girl, who had a smirk growing on her lips as a few more children came to watch what was happening. He knew it would probably be best not to say or do anything, just like at the school playground with Aldive. He also knew Denzel was most likely a ticking time bomb at this point. "I think we should probably go home, guys."

It was at that moment Tifa showed up, waving at the children. She had come in from behind them, and was walking towards the group. "Hey!"

Marlene walked up to her and held her hand. "We were just about to go home!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Come on, Denzel." Zeph held out his hand to his adoptive sibling. Slowly, Denzel took it. The blond was relieved this stressful encounter was finally coming to an end.

"She has gross little puppies growing in her belly," muttered the girl. A few kids snickered, though most were quiet.

Zeph felt Denzel's hand slip out of his own, then turned his head to see him shove the girl onto the grass. His green eyes widened and he gawked as he heard the air forced out of her lungs in a harsh little squeak, the thump of her head against the dirt, the way Denzel leered over her.

"Denzel!" Tifa grabbed him by the arm and away from the little girl, who was beginning to sniffle. After a stern glare that told him they would have a talk later, Tifa gingerly walked over to the little girl and tried to help her up. "Hey, sweetie. Are you alright—"

The girl shoved away Tifa's arm and picked herself up. "Don't touch me, dog lady!" She ran off, leaving Tifa and the other children behind.

Tifa sighed in exasperation before looking behind her and at Denzel again. "Home, now."

The walk back to Cid's house was quiet. Denzel was still fuming and Tifa was thinking of what to do when the girl's parents came knocking at the door. She wanted to talk to Denzel, but she knew he would react better to Cloud. He always did, just like Marlene listened to her better. Zeph had taken to listening to them both, though when he discovered Cloud's secret he had listened to her more for a time. It had been more agitating in the beginning, but as long as Denzel listened to either her or Cloud, she knew they could handle it.

After a few hours had passed them by and Tifa was helping Yuffie sort out the various boxes of Wutaian take-out that she had brought home(and totally didn't use her princess title to get a discount), there was an angry knock on the door. Tifa let out a wary sigh as she slowly stood up from her chair. Shera was already at the front door, and she was met with the angry grumbles of a man roughly Cid's age with much less hair on his head. He looked burly and was trying to intimidate the smaller woman.

"Dave..."

"I don't care if you're Cid's wife or if those kids belong to his friends—"

Tifa put her hand on Shera's shoulder and put herself between the two. "Hello, I think you should be saving that venom for me," Tifa greeted warmly.

The man's dark, beady eyes darted to her. "Your boy hurt my daughter in the park today," he began, "and she's been talkin' about a dog woman trying to grab her up."

Tifa raised a brow. "Dog woman?"

He pointed at her. "Don't play dumb with me. I know what's goin' on here, I heard about it from folks in Edge! Maybe Cid and a bunch of others thinks it's alright if y'all run amok in this town, but some of us aren't buyin' it. Now, you keep your little wolf cubs away from my daughter and maybe we'll get along while you're here."

Tifa gave Dave a narrow eyed glower. "First of all, they're just children. Second, _you_ can keep _your_ daughter away from _them_. They're going to use the park. Lastly, I think I understand where your poor daughter gets her bad manners from."

"Dawn's an angel, you beast!"

"Omigawd, is this guy still going?" Yuffie popped her head out from behind Tifa's shoulder. "Hey, big guy! You're keepin' us from gettin' dinner ready, so scram!"

"This is between me and her, scamp!"

A threatening voice came from behind Dave. "And me."

He looked behind him, then down. Cloud was glaring up at him with a feral stare, the blue of his eyes eerie in the twilight and making him look that much more threatening in the pose he held. Dave scoffed at him. "Your vicious little pup hurt my little girl. I suggest you all act more gracious to the town that hosts you."

"I'll be sure to talk to him about that. You can go now."

Dave pointed a finger at him. "You're not gonna take this seriously?! I'll have you know—"

"I can smell your fear," Cloud growled out.

"Will you two finish up?! The food's gonna get cold!" Yuffie let out a groan as her stomach grumbled.

"Sorry." Cloud pushed past Dave, then glared back behind his shoulder. "Good night." He shut the door before the man could say anything else.

"What happened?" he asked as Yuffie walked back into the kitchen proper with Shera. Tifa stood next to Cloud, her lips pursed.

"Denzel shoved that man's daughter in the park."

Cloud's brows furrowed. "Why did he do that?"

Tifa let out a sigh through her nose, then looked down as her fingers trailed her baby bump. "She said I had gross little puppies growing in my belly." Her ruby eyes rose up to meet Cloud's, a tired frown on her face. "Denzel was a little wound up as it was, and I guess that sent him over the edge."

"Great." Just what they needed right now. "Anything else happen while I was away?"

Tifa shrugged. "Yuffie bought dinner so none of us had to cook. How was the new guy?"

Cloud ran a hand through his spikes. "Jack? He's gonna be trouble tomorrow, I just know it. He has no family, his friends think he's dead and he's pretty bitter towards Penny. I'm really not sure how I'm gonna anchor him down without any scents to help him remember. I guess I'll just have to make sure we're far away from any villages."

"Hm, do you think it'll change his temperament afterwards?"

"I have no idea, I don't even wanna think about it right now." He put his hands on his hips and mulled over the afternoon. "You know, he's...strange."

She raised a brow. "Strange?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "I don't think the infection took hold yet. He doesn't smell different yet, so none of his senses are heightened and he doesn't have any base instincts." Cloud shrugged with an uncertain look on his face. "At the latest it should hit tomorrow. I guess it doesn't matter, I'm taking them way out. Penny should be fine in the forest to the north of town, I don't want him attacking her."

"I see..."

Cloud grunted, then sniffed the air. Besides the scent of his pack, he could smell whatever it was they were having for dinner. "Is that Wutaian?"

Yuffie looked at him from behind her shoulder. "What else would it be?"

He shrugged. "I was hoping something good," he wryly replied back as Cid, Reggs and Zeph entered the living room from the garage. They had grease smudged on their faces and arms. Cloud remembered that Cid said he was going to let them look at all his smaller projects before lunch. It would definitely be a good outlet for Reggs, he had thought.

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Shaddap, Furball. I got you your stupid meat."

"You're too kind."

She turned back, then opened up another container. "I'm still coming with you tomorrow."

Cloud gave her a withering glare behind her back. "Gonna have to do a raincheck on that."

"I can handle a wild furball!"

He came closer and to the side of the table to meet her eye with an incredulous look. "You aren't going to. But," he began as he saw the pout on her lips, "we can go at it next time. I know I'm going to have to do something sooner than the Full Moon after next."

Yuffie gave a dismissive shrug. "I'll hang out with Penny, then. Hurry and clean yourself up, I'm almost done!"

"Yeah, okay." Cloud walked off to the bedroom they had all been stuffed in the last couple of days, and found Denzel quietly fuming on one of the beds. His deep blue eyes locked with Cloud's, and he was suddenly anxious. The blond walked over and sat on the bed next to him, holding a stern expression on his face. "Denzel, we've talked about fighting people over words..."

Denzel let out an exasperated huff and rubbed his forehead. "I know. I know that, Cloud. But every time you or Tifa don't fight back against words, we all lose."

Cloud tensed his jaw as he mulled over the boy's words and the scent of his anger. "We'd lose more if we did fight back," he replied quietly.

"How?" Denzel looked up at his guardian. "We've lost our home, and the lives we had."

"Any one of us could have been killed," Cloud pointed out. "I'd sacrifice our home in a heartbeat if it kept my family alive."

The warrior went on as he brought his stare to the far wall of the room, illuminated by the golden light of an old lightbulb. "I can't risk that. And as much as...I wanted to hurt those people that invaded the bar, I knew it would have put us in a worse spot than we're in now."

"I feel like we're gonna get kicked out again," Denzel admitted.

"We're on thin ice as it is, so no more fights unless you really have to do it. A little girl saying something mean about Tifa's baby bump isn't an excuse to do anything physical." Cloud looked back at the boy he considered his son. "I know it's hard, but we just have to get through this next couple of months."

Denzel crossed his arms and frowned into his lap. "Nothing will be the same again, anyway."

"You're right, it won't be. I wish I could change that, but I can't help how other people react to me. No one wants a nightmare living near them," he said with more than a little resignation. "Because that's what I am to those who don't know me."

"It's not fair." Denzel knew life wasn't fair, but this had its own angle of unfairness. It wasn't the unfairness of death that he was so used to, it was something that in his mind could be abolished by people getting to know Cloud's exploits. A hero would be given a far fairer reception, he thought.

"I know. But people aren't rational. You aren't rational when you attack people for just words, you know," Cloud explained. He hoped this angle would make Denzel understand.

The child sighed harshly and tightened his arms around his sides. Cloud put a heavy hand on his shoulder. "I'll let you cool off some more. Dinner's ready, by the way."

Denzel nodded, then swallowed as he continued to not make eye contact. "I'll be out in a couple of minutes."

Cloud squeezed Denzel's shoulder a little, then pat it. "Take your time, Denzel."

* * *

The Full Moon was climbing towards the midheaven as the small group trundled through the forest, Barret's borrowed truck parked safely on the side of the road and waiting for them to get back in the morning. Cloud had taken them out to the woods that surrounded the hill where their new home would be. He had taken a quick glance in its direction before slinking in between the trees, noticing a few machines parked outside but not yet any trailers to hold workers.

That was very fortunate, he thought. He wanted to be out and far away from any people with Jack in tow. Cloud just wasn't sure what he would do, so he decided he would exert his dominance as the leader of the pack and then start hunting. Despite everything, he was really looking forward to that. He hoped he could bag a second animal later on and bring it back to Rocket Town, and then everyone would have meat.

He rubbed his forehead and tsked to himself. He felt silly thinking like that. Still...

Cloud kept Jack in his sights as Reggs trailed behind them. The teen had not yet met Penny yet, but her scent had been doing things to him. Cloud drummed it up to being a teenager with their hormones, and he smelled pheromones pouring off the teen in buckets. He wondered if Denzel and Zeph would be like this when they got to Reggs' age, and he figured if he himself had thought with his other head as a teen, then they probably would do so too.

At least Hirdthag had been content to help corral the Reggs as he took a glance at Penny before leaving. Then again, did he want his father trying to advise him? Cloud just didn't know. He had been tender towards Marlene and Zeph and Denzel when he wasn't in a mood, so perhaps it would be alright. Not that he had been there for Cloud when he was growing up, he thought with just a hint of bitterness.

He could smell the fear and anger from Jack. The man had been a grumbling pain, always smarting off about Penny, or about Reeve for sparing her. Cloud was still unsure about why there was no new scent coming from Jack. He had been scratched, and that was that. Jack spoke of his nightmare, and that he had not eaten all day, so there was no telling if his tastes had shifted yet. It was past the window of time for it to take hold, and he wondered if it was just off because of the timing and that he would change regardless. Jack had had his encounter rather close to a Full Moon, after all, and Cloud mused that he didn't know all there was to know about lycanthropy.

They reached a small clearing, filled with dead leaves and rocks tall and flat enough to sit on. It smelled good from the decaying leaves and the scent trails of prey animals. Cloud stopped here, then leaned on the flat side of a boulder. He began to take off his jacket. "This should be a good spot."

Reggs began to strip next to the boulder without the hesitancy he had a month ago. Cloud gave him a sharp look. "No funny business," he reminded him firmly. He wasn't in the mood for any hijinks tonight.

Reggs looked up at him from his crouch as he fiddled with his pants, then nodded quietly. "Right."

Hirdthag folded his shirt, then glanced at Jack. "Joinin' us, or what?"

Jack just seemed stuck in a daze, observing the three work on their clothes as if it were the most normal thing in the world. He watched as Reggs hid behind the boulder after tossing his folded clothing on a large rock. Reality didn't quite strike him until he heard strange sounds behind the boulder that just felt wrong for his ears to hear, and then a few moments later a big, furry head shyly popped out from above the greyish stone.

He squeezed his fists. It almost looked like the same monster that ruined his life.

"Jack, start stripping."

Jack let out a disgusted snort and he turned away. He wasn't one of them, he couldn't be. Even though he was warned by Cloud what would happen, this wasn't his fate. It was theirs, not his. Nothing would happen, even if he felt jittery and he had nightmares last night.

There was a strong hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see an ethereal blue eye looking at him sternly. "It's time. Take your clothing off."

He shook his head. "No...no, this isn't..."

"It is. I told you what to expect and what to do."

"Do you wanna go back to Rocket Town naked in the morning? Take that stuff off before you ruin it!" Hirdthag said.

Cloud sighed quietly. "If nothing happens, you can just put your clothing back on. Right?"

Jack groaned in frustration as his brain refused to believe in what was to happen. He had been scratched, his days as a human were over. "Right..."

"Look. I know you're afraid," Cloud whispered to him, "and you're telling yourself this shouldn't be possible. I've been there. But even then I didn't throw caution to the wind. I could have killed my family if I did that."

Jack pinched at the hem of his shirt's sleeve. Then he looked back. There were two large monsters watching him curiously. Cloud was watching him hawkishly, seemingly uncaring of his naked state. As much as he wouldn't say it despite all of them being able to smell it, he was terrified. Terrified of them, terrified of what was going to happen to him in a few moments...

If this was it, he should save his clothing, he agreed. Jack unfastened his pants and began to drop them, then the rest of his clothing followed in a heap in the leaves. He felt too defeated to care about them laying there like that. He sat on the ground and waited for the inevitable.

Cloud observed Jack for a few more moments before letting a quiet sigh loose from his lips and looking up at the moon. He hoped Vincent and Nanaki could figure out what this was all about soon. He could feel the heat growing and his canines pushing out, but he forced it back as he looked down at the black haired man. He frowned. "Are...are you feeling any heat? Like I told you about?"

Jack looked up at him, cast his eyes downward and moved them side to side a little as he searched inside himself. His face showed his puzzlement. "...No."

Cloud winced as the muscles on the side of his abdomen seized up in protest. "Y-you should be changing by now. Why don't you...You don't smell like you should," he growled out. Something wasn't quite right here, he thought. He was fighting back the moon's influence, and this man was sitting there just dandy!

"I don't...?" Jack sniffed his arm, but it just smelled like sweat and the faint scent of soap to him. "What's going on?"

"...You're not one of us."

Those growled out words simultaneously relieved and terrified Jack. Somehow he wasn't going to be like them, but he was alone in the woods with three werewolves that had claimed to have skipped dinner. He felt like a rabbit cornered by dogs. Jack kicked away as Cloud let out a deep growl, his body growing larger and furrier in front of him. After the werewolf shook his torso, the glare of those glowing blue eyes in the moonlight sent shivers down Jack's spine.

The blond werewolf let out a noisy huff of air, then came a little closer to Jack. He sniffed at him as he sat frozen on the ground, trying to find any kind of scent other than human. His nose went towards the slowly healing wound on Jack's chest and the man let in a sharp breath. Cloud sniffed about as he almost grazed the scabs, smelling nothing more than human blood and terror.

Cloud moved back a little as the two others watched behind him. He looked up at Hirdthag from his crouch, who simply shrugged in bewilderment. Cloud looked back at Jack, then pointed at his pile of clothing, then at him.

Jack followed the large claw, then looked at Cloud. "...Get dressed?" He was given a slow, deliberate nod. Jack bit his lower lip, watching the three before grabbing at his boxers with a shaking hand. He just had to convince himself he wasn't going to die tonight, that he wasn't going to be hunted down. No, no. It wouldn't make sense to ask him to get dressed before tearing him apart.

He heard rustling nearby. The other two had disappeared into the forest and Cloud was rummaging through some of his clothing. He heard the jingle of keys as he buttoned his jeans up, then bent down to collect his shirt. He was still afraid, but it was being overtaken by his sheer bafflement at the turn of events tonight.

Cloud held something shiny on a claw, and he very carefully brought his padded hand towards Jack. He nodded at the questioning look he was given, wanting the man to take the keys. Hesitantly, carefully, Jack took them, then followed Cloud after he pointed in the direction they came.

"Is this normal?" he whispered to himself. He heard a huff from Cloud, and he noticed the werewolf was giving him a look that said he was as unsure as Jack was. They were both clueless to what went right in Jack's case. Tonight made absolutely no sense at all to either of them.

Cloud's stomach grumbled, and he looked fleetingly into the foliage of the forest. He hoped the three of them found something big, maybe an elk. He never got to try it in Nibelheim, but there were sure to be some out here. He turned his head to face forward, pushing away a stray branch that was in the way of his head. First things first, he thought. Get Jack to some semblance of safety, since there were feral monsters out here. Kyuvilduns, Valrons and Belcher Tusks could easily kill him.

The sound almost made Jack run off, but he remembered what Cloud had said yesterday. Werewolves are predators and predators like to chase running prey, so look away from humans doing just that. He hoped Cloud would have a better handle on that if he bolted, but Jack took a deep breath to steady himself. He hadn't been torn apart like he thought he would be when Cloud uttered those words.

Still, his life in Edge was ruined.

They came to the roadside a little while later, and Cloud pointed towards the back end of the truck. Jack gave him a look and the werewolf let out a sigh before motioning with his arm and then making a scary face with his claws out in front of him.

Jack blinked, then looked around with his eyes. "Uhh..."

Cloud brought a paw to his face and shook his head. Then he came to the back of the truck and pointed at the lock below the handle.

"Why not the cabin?"

The werewolf rolled his eyes, then noticed something far behind Jack. He smirked, then pointed behind the man. Jack looked back and saw a chubby, four legged shadow crawling across the road in the distance. Monsters. He turned back and jammed a key into the hole, then another until one finally worked. He hopped into the back and took one last look at Cloud. "...I guess I'll see you in the morning then?"

Cloud nodded, then did his best impression of a wave.

Jack closed the door most of the way, but paused as he looked Cloud in the eyes, regarding him quietly. "We'll have a lot to talk about."

A growl that sounded a lot like a laugh came from Cloud's maw, and then he nodded again. Jack closed the door completely and the werewolf began his trek back into the woods. He didn't want to think about the strange turn of events involving Jack, nor the town hall. All he wanted was the thrill of the chase, the taste of meat, and a second beast to bring back to his pack. Everything else could wait.


	58. Town Hall

**A/N: Yeah well I have to finish this train wreck anyway. Maybe. Thanks to Kelleyj17 for betaing and being a sounding board!  
**

* * *

 _"This morning: Monsters Among Us."_

 _"Hello, viewers! Very recently it had been leaked by very concerned citizens that any werewolves that were involved with the Edge Incident had been relocated to Rocket Town. The people there worry if they're next on the menu of these strange, aggressive beasts that masquerade as humans._

 _"Dave's child has had an encounter with one already. He claims the wolf boy began attacking his daughter, Dawn, as she played in one of Rocket Town's parks."_

"Ah, they're talking about you, Denzel!" Marlene pointed at the screen as Dave appeared on it, looking slightly distressed.

"If I was a werewolf, that stupid brat woulda really got it," he grumbled as he sat on the floor near Zeph, nursing a small cup of coffee. Zeph gave him a look that quietly asked if he were joking.

Tifa gave a stern gaze at the back of his head. "Denzel."

Barret mumbled something into his mug, and he was given a sharp glare by Tifa. He shrugged. "Jes sayin'."

 _"She was mindin' her own business when one of those savages shoved her over! It didn't help matters any when its mother came over, tryin' to grab little Dawn up. The kids helped get them away, though."_

A sigh left Tifa's lips before she rolled her eyes. She sipped her coffee as she lounged on the sofa, watching the television with resigned interest. Shera sat next to her with a mug in hand, and Cid had a hand on the top of the forest green sofa, leaning over her and watching with a withering, critical stare.

"Man, fuck Dave and his shitty high horse."

 _"There will be a town meeting tonight at six to discuss the newcomers. While some are justifiably alarmed like Dave, others are taking a more optimistic view."_

 _"Yeah, I know one of 'em. He's a good man, just a bit quiet."_

 _"I heard he's the one that killed all those werewolves in Edge!"_

 _"They seem strange, but they've been quiet and living with the Chief. If he's gonna trust them in his house, then they're probably alright."_

Cid slurped on his coffee. "Well, damn. At least the whole town isn't in a tizzy."

"That Dave guy is gonna be trouble, I can feel it," Barret replied.

The blond pilot grunted in agreement. "He's known to be a blowhard, but under the circumstances he might get some of the more paranoid folks in a frenzy."

 _"It seems that Rocket Town is a community divided. Are these werewolves sinister troublemakers, waiting to prey on the innocent, or are they truly looking for a quiet life and peaceful interactions with humans? Perhaps we will find out this evening."_

Tifa cringed as she stared at the television, now featuring a local commercial for a mechanic. "They're televising the town hall?"

Cid cursed under his breath and he shrugged after standing up straight. "I guess they are now. I can't tell them to piss off, under the circumstances."

Shera nodded. "But I'm sure Cloud can help talk some sense into everyone."

"It's not quite that," Tifa began, "it's that he's going to be on television, and I doubt Rocket Town's residents will be the only ones tuning in." She took a long drink of her coffee. "That mob will know we're here."

She had to wonder if they would even bother with them anymore, now that they were on another continent. Perhaps, Tifa thought, the mob they had angered thought them out of their hair now that they had been exiled from Edge. They certainly wouldn't have the same power Shinra did at its height, not by a longshot.

"That mob doesn't know who they're dealin' with, either." Barret gave his metal arm a pat. "We're AVALANCHE, we ain't just anybody!"

"We don't need them anywhere near the children, if they're still interested in us."

"When Cloud gets back, we should probably discuss what to do," Shera concluded. The rest agreed before anxiously going back to what they were doing.

Cloud arrived a couple of hours later, after dropping off Jack at the WRO building to talk to Reeve. The WRO president had left Cid's house before anyone but Shera had woken up, and to Tifa's knowledge he would be ignorant of the media in town. The truck was parked near the backyard and he entered alone, noticing all eyes were on him. "Mornin'," he greeted.

"Morning," Tifa greeted back as she walked up to him.

He had the smallest of smiles on his face as she approached, but quickly remembered what he wanted to say. "Uh, it turned out Jack wasn't infected somehow."

Zeph raised his brows. "He wasn't?"

Cloud shook his head. "No. We don't know why, either."

"Oh. Maybe he can go back to Edge, then," Marlene replied.

"...He doesn't think his friends will trust him."

"I think we have more important things to worry about than Jack," Tifa interrupted. She told Cloud about the morning news. He made a face at the mention of media being added to the town hall; he didn't like the thought of being in the limelight. "We might have to get the kids away from here, until the Turks find them.

"I don't think it's a big risk...but it's something to consider," she continued. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, and there's nowhere to run if they do…"

"We'd have to hide you, too."

She crossed her arms and frowned. "I'm not helpless."

Cloud took a deep breath through his nose and held it for a second before huffing. Tifa was always stubborn, and he didn't feel like getting into an argument right now over her safety. "I know. Well, I'm gonna freshen up, and we can figure out what to do later."

After he was cleaned up, Cloud went out to the backyard with Denzel and Zeph in tow. "Tonight might be a little hectic, so let's just...enjoy some time together." He needed time to clear his thoughts, and he wanted time with the boys if they might have to be sent away eventually.

Denzel cocked his head as he looked at what was laying in the backyard. It was big, hairy and dead. He looked up at Cloud for some sort of answer. "What's that?"

Cloud's cheeks turned rosy. "Uh, I hunted a boar this morning."

"Why?" Zeph asked with a tinge of morbid curiosity.

"...Because I wanna chip in somehow," he replied almost timidly. "It's good meat."

Denzel came up to the dead boar and bent over it. He wrinkled his nose up. "It kinda stinks."

"Well, we gutted it before we brought it into the truck, but yeah. I guess it's still gonna stink a little bit." Cloud rubbed the back of his head, then came up to the boar and pointed at a large slit in its belly. "Anyway, this thing is gonna help feed everyone."

"How did you kill it?"

"Uh, I snapped its neck." Cloud positioned the boar so that his teeth marks weren't visible. It was on its back now. "I'm gonna skin it first." He took out a sharp knife from his pocket, and began to carefully peel the hide back from one side of the boar. "It's not so bad, see?"

Zeph studied the thin white layer of fat that was left behind. "What does boar taste like?"

"It's almost identical to pig, just a bit gamey."

"So, what does pig taste like?"

Cloud looked up at the blond haired boy just as he was about to begin on the other side. "You know...pork? Bacon? Ham?"

"Wait," Denzel began. "They're all from the same animal?"

"Yeah." Maybe Cloud wasn't a cook, but he knew animals. He supposed it was because he was a country bumpkin at heart. "It's a versatile animal."

He continued to skin the boar, then took notice of Hirdthag hauling over a large ice chest. "We're gettin' another one ready. Might hold it all."

"I guess I wasn't thinking about the size..."

Hirdthag shook his head. "Nope. Probably after the biggest boar you could find."

Cloud rolled his eyes and began focusing on the cuts. He was biting his lip as he tried to find where to begin. He heard a sigh from his father, and he looked up at him again. "You don't remember, do you?"

"It shouldn't be much different than a deer..."

Hirdthag took the knife from him. "Fine, I'll teach the three of you."

He began to show them where the individual cuts were on the boar. The belly, the backstrap, the ribs and hams. Eventually they had the entire beast dismantled. "So, that's how you cut up a boar."

"Uh, thanks for the lesson, Gramps." Denzel watched as the last bit of meat was dunked into the icy water of the second cooler. He had a pensive expression on his face.

Hirdthag nodded, then cocked his head ever so slightly. "You alright?"

"Yeah."

"You can't lie to a werewolf about things like that," he pointed out.

"Denzel," Cloud began, "you're worried about leaving again, aren't you?"

Zeph sighed. "We both are. Marlene is, too. I think we'd feel safer if we're all together. With you."

Denzel nodded. "Besides, we can fight now."

"Fighting people is a lot different than fighting monsters," Cloud warned.

"You do it all the time."

Cloud bit his lip. Yes, he had been and would continue to do so. "...I have. But I think that means you should leave the fighting to us."

After they had brought the coolers into the garage and near the old freezer Cid somehow kept running they joined the others, including Reeve, in the kitchen. Yuffie was absent, but she was looking after Penny and Ithey, they were told.

"So we have to be at the town hall," Cloud explained. "But I don't think all of us have to be there."

Tifa shook her head. "The children can stay with Yuffie while we're gone." She looked at Barret. "Would you stay with them, too?"

He crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "You sure you ain't gonna need some more people there?" His query was a bit of a grumble.

Cloud let out a huff. "I can handle it."

"You can handle fightin', not talkin' to a bunch of folk!"

"Barret, we just think it would be best if you were there with the children while we were gone," Tifa replied in a diplomatic fashion. "Just in case."

Barret nodded after a few moments of silent contemplation. "Yeh. We'll be rootin' for ya!"

"D'you really think someone is out there already?" Denzel frowned at how cautious they were being. They skipped town, but how would the mobsters know where they were now? It took them awhile to find Cloud in Edge, but maybe it was because of his odd hours and a city to comb through.

"Well, no," Tifa replied. "But we aren't really sure how everyone is going to react." She knew Denzel at the very least wasn't exactly dazzling the neighbors with his behavior.

Cid rubbed his nose once with the side of his index finger before crossing his arms. "Guess we should hang back until it's time."

Cloud nodded. He was becoming even more anxious about the town hall this evening. Tifa caught his attention when she very gently tugged on his arm. "I'd like to do a little shopping before then. Wanna come?"

"As if you had to ask," he murmured.

The walk to the store wasn't too long despite their leisurely pace. Some people watched them closely and others ignored them completely. Cloud kept her close to him, using his senses to catch any whiff of danger. All he picked up was the scent of anxiety and a little fear here and there, but nothing too worrisome.

The door to the grocery store opened and they walked through. A chorus of fruit and vegetable scents hit him, cool and earthy to his nose. Tifa picked up a little handbasket. "I just need a few things."

"Would you like me to carry that?" Her feet had been swelling on and off since before they left Edge.

She gave him a reassuring smile. "It won't be anything too heavy."

A grunt passed his lips, but he relented. He followed her as she looked upwards at the signs for whatever aisle she was interested in. After passing a few she turned, and Cloud huffed through his nose as the scent of dozens of spices and herbs hit his nose. Dry, aromatic, pungent, sharp, fragrant scents. He raised a brow.

"You brought home the bacon," she teased. "Well, I'd like to cure the belly into bacon, but there's no way to smoke it. So I'm gonna get some ingredients for pork belly stew."

"Oh." He felt disappointed in himself for not asking how the bacon was made first, but whatever Tifa had in mind was probably going to be just as good, he thought. "Guess I'll have to try again later."

Tifa smiled at him, then began searching the spices. "Yeah. But until then, we have a grocery store that sells bacon."

Cloud couldn't help but laugh lightly at that. "That's true. Maybe I'll pick some up."

"Alright. I'll be right here."

He hesitated a moment, watching as she went back to studying the different glass containers filled with earthly colors. A grocery store was safe, and he would just be over near the meat counter. Cloud squeezed his fists a few times before turning and searching out the bacon, near a back corner. Tifa would be fine, just like in Edge before they had to flee. He would be close by.

There was a long case filled with meat from the local area farms, and a few freshwater fish that were in season being offered. The butcher could be seen periodically through the round window in the flap door that led to a room where meat was undoubtedly carved up; it looked as if he was busy with one of the machines from the sounds of it. That was fine, Cloud thought. He wasn't quite ready to speak to anyone right now.

In fact, he would have loved it if there had been some premade packages.

Cloud found himself staring at the large bacon slab that rested peacefully between a display of sirloin steaks and pork loins. How much should he get? Reggs wanted to have his own room in the WRO building again, so it would be only him and his father to worry about destroying the bacon supply in Cid and Shera's house. Would the others want some too? It was his bacon, but it should be shared, he decided. He could get more later.

He sighed through his nose as he continued to look over the bacon slab.

"Can I help you?"

Cloud looked up from the meat case and into a pair of dark brown eyes regarding him quietly. The butcher was a bit taller than the warrior, and built thickly around the chest and arms from what he could see. The butcher looked to be middle aged, with a bit of a tan. He cleared his throat, then pointed at the slab bacon. "I'd like to get some bacon."

"Okay. Uh, how much?"

His eyes went from the butcher, back down to the bacon, then back up. "...Two pounds?" Was that enough?

The butcher stared at him quietly for a painstaking moment, then leveled his gaze. "Two pounds?" He was given a nod in response. "Uh, how thick?"

 _How thick?_ Cloud's mouth parted just a little as he contemplated the simple question. Why did he not ask Tifa about bacon thickness? Usually he didn't need to think about it because it was already done. The butcher seemed to pick up on his silent dismay. "I'll just cut it about as thick as most everyone takes it, alright?"

Cloud nodded once, then looked back at the meat display. That was enough socializing for now. He blankly watched the butcher go to work on his order, all the while thinking about tonight. What was he going to say, and in front of cameras no less? Did he really have to be there? Yeah, sure, he was the alpha male, but did he have to be for this? He would rather stay away from prying eyes.

"Here ya go. Two pounds of bacon."

The blond took the plastic bag in his hand. "Thanks."

The butcher studied him, then hesitantly asked, "...do you eat a lot of bacon?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I mean, if your family goes through a lot of bacon—"

Cloud shook his head. "Just me," he murmured. "I-I gotta go. Thanks again." He turned around and walked off to find Tifa, bacon in hand. He could tell the butcher was curious, he _knew_ and he wanted to ask questions, and Cloud wasn't in the mood to answer them.

He turned the corner into the aisle he left Tifa in to find her talking to another person. With everything that had been happening, it sent red flags up in his mind, until he noticed Tifa's relaxed body language. Her eyes found his as he quietly approached, and she smiled more. The other woman turned to look, her hand near her mouth. She looked a little anxious at his approach.

Tifa brought her hand forward towards him, and he took it as he came close. "Get enough bacon?" she teased in a disarming fashion.

"Mhm."

"Cloud, this is Meg. She's one of Cid's neighbors." She motioned towards the mousy haired woman, who was very shyly offering her hand. Cloud took it, and gave it a very gentle shake. "Meg, this is Cloud, my husband!"

"N-nice to meet you," she squeaked out as her hand fell back to her side. She looked like she was in the company of a supposedly trained Behemoth.

He nodded. "Same." His cheeks felt like they were burning. He wondered if he should be used to this by now, being treated as a potential time bomb. Which he wasn't, so long as there wasn't a threat, and this woman definitely wasn't a danger to Tifa.

"We were just discussing the town hall tonight," Tifa began. "She was curious about it."

"Oh, uh...curious?"

Meg fumbled with her handbasket, a bit pale in the face. Cloud pursed his lips, then shook his head. "...It's alright. I'm used to it," he lied. He turned to Tifa. "Ready?"

"You're the one who helped Cid distribute the Geostigma cure, right?" Meg blurted out.

Cloud looked back at her, stared, then slowly nodded.

The woman smiled a little at his shy admittance. "You must be an alright guy, then."

He felt his blush grow, but a familiar smugness tugged at his chest. "Thanks. Well, maybe we'll see you tonight?"

Meg nodded. "Yeah, I'll try to get a seat."

After saying goodbye Cloud and Tifa walked off towards the registers, a contemplative silence between them. Tifa's fingers glanced his arm, drawing them closer together. "Maybe Dave didn't have as much of an effect as he thought he would."

"Maybe? She was pretty scared."

Tifa let out a short, quiet laugh. "She was. She was asking me questions before you came back. You know, the usual."

"Hm." Cloud looked towards a free register. "What did you tell her?"

He noticed she was grinning, and he quirked up a brow. "I told her you can look a little scary sometimes, but you're really just a big puppy."

Cloud scoffed at her description of him. "Marlene said it. I'm a big, bad, wolf."

Tifa laughed harder and leaned into him. He found his hand holding her waist as he savored the sound. "More like a naughty dog!"

He was starting to chuckle a little himself. It was like a small release before the stress the evening would bring, something he could cherish in the moment. There was progress being made in their favor, a little at a time. Maybe they needed more, faster, but shouldn't he be happy that people were at least willing to try and tolerate him?

Maybe there was hope, after all.

xxxxxxxx

"It's a full house out there," Cloud calmly remarked from his spot near the stage as he peeked from the edge of the deep blue curtain. He was rubbing his fingers together continuously. His eyes glanced down at his clothing; did he look down-to-earth enough? A white shirt, open red plaid over shirt and blue jeans was boring, he hoped.

Cid shrugged after taking a glance at the audience. There was some local news station in the back of the hall and people anxiously stood about because of the lack of seating. "They can't be too worried if they're gonna sardine themselves like that," he drawled out.

"I guess you're right."

Reeve sipped on a water bottle as he stood in silent contemplation; he then walked by to begin whatever speech he had in mind for those in attendance. Cloud wondered what someone like him thought about before having to talk to the masses. Did he clear his mind, did he go through what he was going to say? The blond breathed through his nose and closed his eyes. He crossed his arms as he began to take calming, deep breaths. What would he say? What would they ask of him? What would he do if they wanted them out of the town as a precaution?

A huff blew through his nose. He had promised Tifa he wouldn't run away from them, his family, anymore after he returned home. When he had realized how much damage he caused by not being there, how much he was needed, he made that promise to her, as solemn and serious as the one on the water tower. But what would he do? Tifa had to stay in town in case anything happened during her pregnancy.

Maybe, he thought, he was overthinking.

He peeked his eyes open to spy her rubbing her baby bump. He couldn't stay away from that for long, he knew that much. The changes to his body would make it very, very hard for him to willingly leave. The thought made him frown; how did his father stay away? Then again, he really hadn't stayed away, not like Cloud had done in the past. Hirdthag had been a shadow in the woods and mountains, hidden but always nearby. Causing trouble, and solving it, too.

"Cloud?"

His eyes opened further as Tifa approached him. "Mm?"

"It's almost time. Ready?" She tilted her head to the side a little in a playful manner, trying to lighten the mood.

He shook his head. "I better get out there."

Hesitantly, Cloud walked out and onto the stage with Cid. Reeve was looking at him with his arm outstretched in a welcoming manner. Shelke stayed by Tifa's side, the brunette watching and silently cheering on Cloud as he came towards one of the microphones. She had decided to hang back as a small dizzy spell struck later in the day, and was sitting on a chair that faced him.

There were way too many eyes on him. The camera in the back wasn't helping his nerves either. Or the news reporter boldly trying to get his attention with a wave. Cloud swallowed, all the while taking in the various scents. It was more anxious than anything, which meant they were feeling just like him. Except for the part where he was to be judged acceptable for the town.

Maybe he could make them feel a little better, like Meg. She was there, too.

He coughed into his hand quietly. What should he say? "I, uh, hello." Cloud took a deep breath. He couldn't waffle now. "Thanks for coming...I wasn't expecting this much interest in me.

"I'd like to not be a bother until we leave Rocket Town." How much would he have to lay bare? He hated this.

"Mr. Strife, Mr. Strife!" The reporter's hand waving became more aggressive. "What do you plan to do until then?"

Now how was he supposed to answer that? "Not stick out like a sore thumb?" He shrugged helplessly. "I guess it's too late for that."

There were a few nervous chuckles from the audience. He figured that was a good sign if anything. "We aren't here to bother anyone."

"Your damn pup bothered my daughter!" It was Dave, second row from the front.

Cloud sighed away from the microphone. He was about to retort, but Cid decided to answer the challenge instead. "The kid's normal, unlike yours! Learn to raise your daughter right, you jackass!"

"I'm not talkin' to you, Cid!"

"You are now!" The crusty pilot pointed at Dave with a gloved finger. "You gotta start shit where there wasn't any. Not only that, you start shit with my friend, the same one that saved your sorry ass with the Geostigma cure!"

Cid waved his hand towards Cloud, who was trying to look as unfazed as he could while attention continued to mount on him. "Look, the kid's not good with public speeches. He likes to stay outta the way. Not much for eatin' people, either."

"What about the one that killed that man? Is it here?" asked a worried voice from the crowd.

Reeve waved his hand disarmingly as he walked towards the microphone that Cid relinquished to him. "That was more complicated than mindless killing."

"So you're usin' 'em for political murders?!"

"A person has a right to use lethal force in self defense in Edge. That was all it was." Reeve, Cloud knew, wasn't the type to use capital punishment, let alone do political assassinations. "Anything less, and he wouldn't be here. I wouldn't risk a town or city like that."

A woman in the back stood up, looked about in an effort to not interrupt anyone, then yelled out "but what if they snap?"

"We aren't rabid dogs," Cloud murmured loud enough into the microphone.

Cid rolled his eyes. "Did ya see any of them last night? No? Cause they weren't here!"

"Well, where were they?" asked the reporter.

"Far from anyone, just to be safe," Cloud replied. "I...know I can make people uncomfortable. I don't want that."

There was some quiet muttering amongst the crowd. The anxiety was lessened a little, if Cloud could count on his nose. He licked his lips and pressed on. "I'd like a chance to prove we're not trouble."

Dave was still standing and giving a look, obviously unpersuaded. "You say you aren't trouble, but you're breeding!" He pointed at the blond, who narrowed his eyes at his pathetic challenger. "You're bringin' more monsters into the world. What's to say it isn't some long term plan?"

"Oh for fuck's sake, Dave," Cid groused loudly.

"Our baby isn't a monster." Tifa had come up front, replying to Dave without a microphone. "And neither is Cloud. Don't we have a right to live peacefully?" she asked of the crowd. "Isn't everyone safe?"

"How do we know you aren't lulling us into a false sense of security?" Dave waved his hand about. "Any one of us could be next!"

Cloud was baffled that this man continued to press in such a hostile way. Even the people he sat near were beginning to show signs that he was getting out of hand. "I'll stick to bacon, thanks," he replied blithely.

There was a chuckle from somewhere in the hall. Quickly, the blond noticed the butcher from earlier laughing quietly. Cloud perked up when he saw him stand from his seat. "He's gonna be good for business!"

"You're a butcher, of course you're gonna be happy!" someone ribbed. There were a few more chuckles that rippled through the hall.

Cloud found himself smiling a little at the exchange. A tension he hadn't noticed was slowly easing off of his shoulders. There were still people there that were hard sells, but he didn't think he would win everyone over as it was. Especially not Dave.

He looked towards Tifa, who had a slight blush on her cheeks as she covered her mouth, giggling softly. She noticed his gaze and smiled back at him, subtly puckering her lips in a familiar gesture. His own smile grew slightly, then he looked back at the crowd. The reporter was trying to get a few statements from Reeve and Cid.

Would everything be alright in Rocket Town? Would they be tolerated for a few months? It was looking that way.

That was until he heard the familiar, sickening sound of gunfire.

He quickly looked over, where Tifa had been standing, and took stock of the situation on instinct. Cid had quickly grabbed Reeve and covered him, and there was a strange man walking towards Cloud with a rifle. He remembered him faintly, a local on the outskirts of Rocket Town that he had delivered parcels to seldomly. Quiet, lonesome, and always with that denim hat on, even now.

A shot was fired, but the blond easily dodged it. Another and another came, but he barely noticed the burn of the metal or the sting as the bullets hit his shoulder. One grazed him and whized on by, another lodged into his shoulder as his skin thickened into hide beneath his clothing.

It sent the hall into further chaos, creating a stampede to get to the doors. He wondered where Tifa was as people shouted and screamed and hollered, and soon after found her on the ground. The scent of her blood struck his nose, and then all he saw was red, and all he heard was ringing and his rage filled roar.


End file.
